Customer Reviews

Juju Music

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

"Juju Music" was Island Records head Chris Blackwell's attempt to make KSA into the new Bob Marley after the reggae superstar's death in 1981. Hired Martin Messonier, the Phil Spector of worldbeat, to produce, and bankrolled KSA's first tour of the US. Messionier was actually a good choice to produce: seemed comfortable with KSA's big line-up of three electric guitarists, four singers, four African drummers, a trap drummer, a bass player, and a pedal steel player. The resulting disk is a highly accessible classic: layers of guitar, vocals, and percussion, with intermittent interjections of what might be called "space pedal steel" [you read that right]. KSA and Messonier added a few synths in post-production. This disk nicely documents KSA's sound circa. 1980.

Because of its denseness, the music can just wash over the listener, or, alternatively, its polyrhythmic complexity rewards repeated "hard" listening. (Personally, for headache relief I prefer lying down on a bed and listening to this disk to Tylenol.) The Yoruba lyrics run the gamut from the spiritual to the bawdy. (Sorry, no singing in "Nigerian" or paeans to "Ja," though.)

The follow-up disk "Synchro System" has a similar sound; subsequent incarnations of the band added keyboards; Demala Adepoju was replaced by a less accomplished pedal steel player; and in general the sound became more percussive as KSA's sound evolved toward "fuji" and other, "harder," styles. KSA still tours the US on occasion and if you see him now, you will probably be treated to a tougher sound (as well as some remarkable dancers)!

I bought this disc to broaden my experience with African music, formerly limited to Ladysmith, Mahothella Queens, etc. Even after reading the other listener reviews, I had no idea what to expect. To say that I was amazed would be an understatement. This disc is a fascinating blend of African, Caribbean, and Hawaiian sounds. I love the talking drums (their change in pitch makes them conversational as well as percussive), the occasional steel guitar runs, and some other-wordly "electronic tonalities." Of course, the basic guitar and vocal sounds are great, too. Most important, the music is enjoyable, uplifting, intriguing, and strangely relaxing. I've listened to it repeatedly and find something new everytime.

All the other reviews are correct, including Amazon's. I was lucky enough to see Sunny Ade live about 12 years ago and remain spellbound to this day. If I take a CD to a party, I inevitably end up giving it to the host because they are so blown away by it. The reason I am at this site is because I need to order more CDs after giving my last away at a party this Memorial Day weekend.

Every so often I hear some of this music used in commercial ads for Hawaiian vacations, which cracks me up. If you are getting your first juju music or fist Sunny Ade, I recommend this album. It is all good, but this album in particular is immediately accessible, yet stands up over time.

It's a cool CD to play at a party because it doesn't intrude or dominate, yet people are constantly stopping in mid-sentence and exclaiming, "Whoa! What IS that?" Getting 20 musicians on stage, all playing lead, yet not having a muddy, cluttered sound is an accomplishment in itself. The minimalist lead guitars (all five or six or them) blend into this rich polyphonic tapestry, yet the sound remains light, even sparse.

Sunny Adé is the legenday King of Juju, a tough dance music that freely draws on the traditions of the Yoruba, Nigeria's largest tribe. The style is rooted in the complex call-and-response between the talking drums and the vocalists. Instruments on this album include electric, rhythm and steel guitars, bass drums, congas, bongos, shekere, maracas, keyboards and the famous talking drums. The imaginative production also includes reggae-style Dub effects. My favorite tracks include the catchy Ja Funmi, the polyrhythmic Sunny Ti De Ariya with its brilliant effects, the melodic and soulful Ma Jaiye Oni with its spectacular Hawaian steel guitar, and Samba/E Falabe Lewe where the steel guitar again comes to the fore. The most interesting thing about Juju is that it lends more importance to the drum and guitar than to the vocals while the melody develops in episodes, as opposed to the familiar verse-chorus format. Although the music is somewhat exotic, this album is accessible enough for the adventurous listener and will soon become a favorite if you give it a chance.

5 guitatrs, 4 talking drums, more percussion, and a rhythm section. And all of these musicians knowing when to play and more importantly when not to play. It truly is astounding (listen to the sound clips, you wont believe that it is a 20 piece band). And then you realze the instuments are talking to each other, Talking drum to talking drum (they actually converse, you need not know about african percussion to feel the conversation), the guitars converse in a talking drum like fasion, drum to guitar exchanges too.

It really is beautiful, grand, but subtle. As complex as a symphony, yet as eazy as acoustic blues.

Thank you Mr. Chairman King Sunny Ade' for bringing your music to America; I've been loving this recording for close to 20 years now, and Im sure I will never tire of it.

King Sunny Ade's "Juju Music" is one of the great albums of all time (and I mean in league with Miles Davis' "Kind of Blue", Duke Ellington's "At Newport", The Beatles' "Abbey Road", etc.). It is hard to imagine a better album: the songs, the arrangements, the playing and singing, and the production are all perfect. This was one of the seminal African music albums of the 1980's; it brought a huge new audience to African music in America and Europe. Though nearly 20 years old it still sounds completely fresh and new. It is essential for anyone with an interest in African music. Buy it now!

These days a lot of Afro-pop music sounds more and more pop (i.e., "world") and less and less African. I am beginning to think that musicians of Ade's generation, who became prominent in the 1970's and 1980's, (such as Nigeria's Fela Kuti and Zaire's Franco & Le Tpok Jazz) were the high point of African popular music. Though, like all modern African pop music, "Juju Music" incorporates various influences from outside Africa, Ade melds it together in a way that sounds genuine and original, and not like some calculated crossover attempt.

If you want to hear more Nigerian Juju music, check out I.K. Dairo Mbe, and Chief Commander Ebenezer Obey, who preceded Ade, or any of Ade's other albums.

What is astounding about this contemporary masterpiece is its absolute ground-breaking and utterly contemporary fusion of innumerable elements. About as experimental and open-hearted as music gets, the endless interweavings of various guitars, heavenly voices and subtle percussion have been killing me softly since it was first released. A masterpiece in any terms.

I got this CD in a local book/CD store's reggae section. As timeless & beautifully as it is, I just want you to know that the music focuses more on the intricate African rhythms than upbeats, as he's from Nigeria & devoted to carrying traditions of Nigeria. Important thenes here are spirituality, mrality, & honor. This music, from conception to production, is a vision immaculately realized. That's why this has earned its reputation as one of the most monumental recordings of the 20th century, not only of this kind of music but ever!

I hope this review has been helpful to you!

If you're interested in learning what Nigerian Juju music is about, or just are getting into world rhythms, this is a record you must have. One of the best of the genre. This was before record companies tried to package King Sunny as the new Bob Marley, which led to a string of lesser recordings. Juju Music, while being a studio recording, has all of the aspects of a great Juju concert; very catchy melodies, the full-blown playfulness in the rhythm section, and some tight long instrumentals. "Ja Funmi" is a song that will stay with you. This is in high rotation in my music listening, and will be in yours. Just get it.

I wore out the grooves on the vinyl ... so I had to get the disc, which sounds great. A staple in any music lover's diet.