Femi Kuti - Africa for Africa (2010)

In a career spanning over twenty years, Femi Kuti has been able to find his own voice while preserving the memory of his father, Fela Kuti. The New York Times recently praised Femi for having 'carried the legacy admirably.' On his new album, Africa for Africa, Femi articulates a raw and forceful call to the long tradition of Afrobeat. Africa for Africa is in several ways a return to Femi's roots. He recorded the album in the same studio where he produced his first recordings with his father and his breakthrough solo album, Shoki Shoki. This recording is deliberately less produced than its predecessor, Day by Day, which was released to acclaim, including a Grammy nomination, in 2009. Africa for Africa aims to present Afrobeat in its rough, purest form. Femi has always performed music that is socially conscious, and he continues to develop his activist voice on the new album. The lyrics address government oppression and other modern problems in Africa. But the music retains a visceral power. London's The Times calls Africa for Africa, 'a thrilling dash from first to last' and Femi s 'finest outing'. Femi Kuti's recordings and live performances have garnered considerable critical acclaim. Time Out New York recently said, 'Kuti sends a political message as powerful as the horn line in his band,' and The Village Voice said, 'His youthful wiles lend a Westernized, accessible spin to the genre his father once reigned over.' And LA Weekly praised Femi, saying, 'his exultant music inspires unrestrained dancing and celebrates such subversive notions as freedom and equality...this is simply great rock and dance music, inspired as much by Miles Davis as James Brown.'