Skip to content

Christian's Music Musings

Celebrating music craftsmanship

  • About
  • Contact
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Google+
  • GitHub
  • WordPress.com

Tag: Femi Kuti

Best of What’s New

A selection of newly released music that caught my attention

Best of What’s New

Time for some newly released music. This is perhaps the most eclectic Best of What’s New installment to date, including afrobeat, indie pop folk, rock and jazz. Yes, more jazz, though it does have some singing. All of the featured albums came out yesterday (February 5). Let’s get to it!

Femi Kuti & Made Kuti/Stop the Hate

Femi Kuti is a Nigerian afrobeat and jazz musician born in London and raised in Lagos. According to his website, Before Femi was his own bandleader, he started playing saxophone in his father — Fela Kuti’s — band, Egypt 80, in 1979, where he learned the ins and outs of performing with a legend. [Fela Kuti, a Nigerian multi-instrumentalist, composer and political activist, is considered to be a pioneer of afrobeat.] In 1984, Femi had no choice but to fulfill his destiny after Fela was arrested at the Lagos airport just before the start of a U.S. tour and Femi was asked to be the frontman of his father’s band instead of cancelling the shows. In 1986, Femi created his own band, called Positive Force, which quickly gained notoriety as a formidable group in Afrobeat music. Over the next 30 years, Femi would amass worldwide acclaim as an ambassador of this righteous music and many humanitarian organizations. Positive Force is still at the forefront of the Afrobeat movement, expanding the music’s vocabulary by adding hints of punk and hip-hop to the sound, while maintaining its traditional roots and political message. This track, Stop the Hate, is from Legacy +, which combines two new albums: Stop the Hate by Femi Kuti and For(e)ward by his son Made Kuti. The groove of this music is infectious.

Hayley Williams/First Thing to Go

Hayley Williams, who was born and raised in Mississippi, is a singer-songwriter and musician. She’s best known as lead vocalist and keyboarder of Paramore, a rock band from Franklin, Tenn. she co-founded in 2004. According to her profile on Apple Music, Williams was already signed to Atlantic Records as a solo pop artist at age 15 before she insisted on going in an edgier alt-rock direction with her high-school pals in tow. As Paramore became fixtures on the mid-2000s Warped Tour circuit, Williams represented an orange-haired beacon for girls looking to elbow their way into the predominantly male mosh pit that was the pop-punk scene…Outside the band, Williams has crowd-surfed far away from her punk roots. After releasing two EPs, Petals for Armor I and Petals for Armor II, in February and April 2020, respectively, her first full-length solo album Petals for Armor appeared in May 2020. It combines songs from the EPs with some new tracks. First Thing to Go is the opener of Williams’ new sophomore release FLOWERS for VASES/decansos. She wrote and recorded the entire album by herself at her home in Nashville. I like the stripped back approach.

Foo Fighters/Making a Fire

While it’s safe to assume Foo Fighters need no introduction to most readers, admittedly, I know next to nothing about this rock band from Seattle, other than it’s fronted by former Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl who is the band’s lead vocalist, guitarist and primary songwriter. I also previously heard a song or two. I didn’t realize Foo Fighters have been around for more than 25 years. In addition to Grohl, the current line-up includes Pat Smear (guitar), Chris Shiflett (guitar), Rami Jaffee (keyboards), Nate Mendel (bass) and Taylor Hawkins (drums). Except for Jaffee who joined in 2017, all other members of the band have played together for more than 15 years. Making a Fire, credited to Foo Fighters, is the opener of the band’s new and 10th studio album Medicine at Midnight.

Archie Shepp & Jason Moran/Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child

I’d to wrap things up with new jazz by saxophone player Archie Shepp who teamed up with Jason Moran, a jazz pianist, for a new album titled Let My People Go. Both of these artists are entirely new to me. Shepp, who is 83 years old, has been active since 1960. Over his 60-year-plus career, he has been on close to 100 records and played with Cecil Taylor, John Coltrane, Dave Burrell, Chet Baker and Frank Zappa, among others. Forty-six-year-old Jason Moran recorded his debut album Soundtrack to Human Motion in 1999 and has since released 14 additional albums as a bandleader. He has also been a sideman for Steve Coleman, Bunky Green, Charles Lloyd and Greg Osby, among others. Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child is the opener of the above noted Let My People Go. It starts with very relaxing piano and saxophone music before Sheep starts singing at about 5:17 into the tune, which based on the description of the YouTube clip is a “negro spiritual” by an unknown writer. Just beautiful to listen to and also fascinating to watch these two artists from different generations.

Sources: Wikipedia; Femi Kuti website; Apple Music; YouTube

Author christiansmusicmusingsPosted on February 6, 2021February 27, 2022Categories Music ReviewsTags Afro-Beat, Archie Shepp, Bunky Green, Cecil Taylor, Charles Lloyd, Chet Baker, Chris Shiflett, Dave Burrell, Dave Grohl, Egypt 80, Fela Kuti, Femi Kuti, FLOWERS for VASES/decansos, Foo Fighters, For(e)ward, Frank Zappa, Greg Osby, Indie Folk, Indie Pop, Jason Moran, Jazz, John Coltrane, Let My People Go, Medicine at Midnight, Nate Mendel, Paramore, Pat Smear, Petals for Armor, Petals for Armor I, Petals for Armor II, Positive Force, Rami Jaffee, Rock, Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child, Soundtrack to Human Motion, Steve Coleman, Stop the Hate, Taylor Hawkins5 Comments on Best of What’s New

Recent Posts

  • The Sunday Six August 14, 2022
  • Best of What’s New August 13, 2022
  • Leaving On a Jet Plane July 28, 2022
  • If I Could Only Take One July 27, 2022
  • Happy Birthday, Mick Jagger July 26, 2022
Follow Christian's Music Musings on WordPress.com

Categories

  • Clips & Pix (208)
  • Concerts (81)
  • In Memoriam (33)
  • Lists (125)
  • Music History (98)
  • Music Reviews (295)
  • Musings of the Past (8)
  • Other (84)
  • The Sunday Six (80)
  • The Wednesday Feature (42)
  • They Say It's Your Birthday (13)
  • Tribute Bands (24)
  • Uncategorized (1)
  • What I've Been Listening To… (122)
  • Year In Review (13)

Tags

  • AC/DC
  • Alternative Rock
  • Americana
  • Aretha Franklin
  • B.B. King
  • Blues
  • Blues Rock
  • Bob Dylan
  • Bonnie Raitt
  • Bruce Springsteen
  • Buddy Guy
  • Carole King
  • Chuck Berry
  • Country
  • Cream
  • Crosby Stills Nash & Young
  • David Bowie
  • Deep Purple
  • Donald Fagen
  • Eagles
  • Elton John
  • Elvis Presley
  • Eric Clapton
  • Fleetwood Mac
  • Folk
  • Funk
  • George Harrison
  • Gregg Allman
  • Hard Rock
  • Indie Rock
  • Jackson Browne
  • James Taylor
  • Jazz
  • Jimi Hendrix
  • Joe Walsh
  • John Fogerty
  • John Lennon
  • John Mellencamp
  • Johnny Cash
  • Keith Richards
  • Led Zeppelin
  • Linda Ronstadt
  • Marvin Gaye
  • Mick Jagger
  • Muddy Waters
  • Neil Young
  • Otis Redding
  • Paul McCartney
  • Pete Townshend
  • Pink Floyd
  • Pop
  • Pop Rock
  • Psychedelic Rock
  • R&B
  • Ringo Starr
  • Rock
  • Rock & Roll
  • Roots Rock
  • Sheryl Crow
  • Singer-Songwriter
  • Soul
  • Southern Rock
  • Steely Dan
  • Steve Winwood
  • Stevie Wonder
  • Tapestry
  • The Allman Brothers Band
  • The Beatles
  • The Byrds
  • The Rolling Stones
  • The Who
  • Tom Petty
  • Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
  • U2
  • Walter Becker

Archives

  • August 2022
  • July 2022
  • June 2022
  • May 2022
  • April 2022
  • March 2022
  • February 2022
  • January 2022
  • December 2021
  • November 2021
  • October 2021
  • September 2021
  • August 2021
  • July 2021
  • June 2021
  • May 2021
  • April 2021
  • March 2021
  • February 2021
  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • February 2020
  • January 2020
  • December 2019
  • November 2019
  • October 2019
  • September 2019
  • August 2019
  • July 2019
  • June 2019
  • May 2019
  • April 2019
  • March 2019
  • February 2019
  • January 2019
  • December 2018
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • September 2018
  • August 2018
  • July 2018
  • June 2018
  • May 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • December 2017
  • November 2017
  • October 2017
  • September 2017
  • August 2017
  • July 2017
  • June 2017
  • May 2017
  • April 2017
  • March 2017
  • February 2017
  • January 2017
  • December 2016
  • November 2016
  • October 2016
  • September 2016
  • August 2016
  • July 2016
  • June 2016
  • About
  • Contact
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Google+
  • GitHub
  • WordPress.com
Christian's Music Musings Website Powered by WordPress.com.
Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy
  • Follow Following
    • Christian's Music Musings
    • Join 267 other followers
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • Christian's Music Musings
    • Customize
    • Follow Following
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Report this content
    • View site in Reader
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Collapse this bar