Customer Reviews

We Before Me

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The sound of this masked piper of Yorubaland is nothing short of phenomenal. Adopting a fusion of old and new, Lagbaja reaches way back to the choruses that accompanied folk tales told on moonlit nights in villages and towns throughout Yorubaland in the fifties and sixties. Not only are the songs ancient, they also take on a modern form through Lagbaja's masterful tenor saxophone and a host of other modern instruments to make the dancing pleasure even more pleasurable. Lagbaja is not only a musician but a prophet as well when you consider how he successfully captured the voice of Nigeria's modern Cicero on track seven and crystalizes the prayer uttered by the late Chief Bola Ige in "Prayer For The Youth." Listening to this album/cd is a pleasure unmatched in modern times. With the passage of Fela comes Lagbaja as historian in a sort of magical realism creating a dialogue on African culture with the Abami Eda himself, a feat made possible through the proficient use of modern technology. Lagbaja is also a patriot as he opened this CD with a much-needed message of unity and peaceful co-existence between the many nationalities that make up modern-day Nigeria. This album is truly an African original, but it also ranks among jazz greats of yesteryears like Thelonious Monk, Dexter Gordon and John Coltrane. This CD is a must-have without which no musical selection is complete.

From out of the very heart of Africa comes Lagbaja's multi-faceted musical genius. The band's repertoire comprises various indigenous African genres and styles, foremost of which is Fela Anikulapo-Kuti's electrifying Afrobeat, in addition to other powerful native elements in the mix: West African High Life, and the Fuji, Juju, Apala and Sakara rhythms of the Yoruba of Nigeria. However Lagbaja's musical pot-pourri does not end with these continental African forms. There are also strong Diasporan musical influences discernable in the music including Reggae, Salsa and Calypso from the Caribbean as well as American R&B, Soul and Funk. With the wave of "World Beat" sweeping by, Lagbaja is sure to carve a solid musical niche and win over many hearts and minds the world over.

It's really hard to classify Lagbaja's style. It's not really straight afrobeat but mixes in juju, jazz and other elements I can't even begin to mention. What is certain is that he's one of the most innovative musicians around today. From the moment you pop in the CD and listen to lagbaja's commentary on the absurdity of ethnic discrimination "Me and you no be enemy", you are in good hands.
A minor grouse I have with the CD is that in my opinion it does not actually feature the best of Lagbaja. Surely, a compilation of Lagbaja's best work would include "Africalypso", the classic "Coolu temper" which has become a catch phrase in Nigeria, and "Baby Ta Ni Ko Fe wa". No matter, what is featured is still great. I don't think I have ever heard anything from Lagbaja I disliked. Highly recommended.

As a relatively modern Nigerian musician, Lagbaja must undoubtedly live in the shadow of the late great African genius Fela Kuti. Just a little research into Fela will show that the identity that he constructed for himself was so timely and relevant that his political agenda eventually overcame his musical ambitions. Lagbaja has been no less methodical in the construction of his identity. However, as Fela was fascinating for presenting his personal agenda to his audience, Lagbaja's presentation separates his private self to the point that his agenda becomes widely accessible.

The word Lagbaja is Yoruba in origin, and translates loosely as "anyone" or "everybody". In interviews, onstage, and on camera, the performer Lagbaja dogmatically appears with his face masked, sometimes elaborately. He obscures his identity to the general public to better relate to them - in fact to become them. For example, in Nothing for You, he says "I might be forty something/ I might be fifty something/ In my heart, I'm twenty something". Lagbaja could be the person next to you in line at the supermarket; he could be sitting on the senate. The messages of unification and truth that he bases his trilingual lyrics on (which are helpfully translated when necessary in the liner notes in this volume) are meant to express the feelings of the modern Nigerian common man. Rather than focus on the agenda of the traditional tribal chieftain, as Fela had done, he chooses to represent the concerns of post-colonial Nigeria on the most personal level.

However, it should be stated: as interesting as Lagbaja is as a modern Nigerian personality, he does not break as much ground musically as his predecessors. In very different ways, both King Sunny Ade and Fela made great strides in integrating Nigerian musical ideals with colonial European ideas. It cannot be argued that Lagbaja continues their work in the modern soundscape. However, his work does not earn its own title like "highlife" or "afrobeat", respectively. Also, his vocal approach is not as readily available to the Western listener, although this can admittedly be due to my personal Westernized tastes.

The lowdown: To the average Western listener, the songs on We Before Me sounds like something like what one would hear if they were listening in on a band playing in Jabba the Hutt's palace on Tattooine. It's pretty groovy, and strangely familiar (bordering on the cliche), but it feels alien enough to give a sense of "the other" that must be reconciled to fully appreciate its better points.

Masked singer/saxophonist Lágbájá is in the running for heir apparent to the throne of late Afrobeat king Fela Kuti. This CD is a brilliant example of his rich African music; backed by an 11 piece band, rich percussion (especially African talking drums), horns, deep bass, and socially conscious lyrics.

Opening track `Me and you no be enemy' is a prime example. Lyrics in pidjin English, a call for unity among the various (often volatile) tribes in Nigeria set to darting horns, a lilting rhythm and staccato of talking drums and other percussion.

A mournful horn intro announces `Gengen' which is sung in Yoruba and pidjin English and talks about rumours.

My absolute favourite track is the beautiful horn drenched love song `Nothing for you'. A great song (and video) about his quest to win the love of some beautiful girl.

`Shake body' is a jazzy/funky drum/melodic guitar filled song urging you to dance (as if one needed urging).

`Prayer for the youth' as the name implies, is a prayer for the Nigerian youth. A mellow song filled with a shuffling beat and rolling percussion. `Suuru lere' is a soft, lilting number with shuffling percussion, bells ringing, lots of horns and melodic guitar and a great electric guitar solo.

Great!!!

I dont really think you can get any grassroot african music better than this. the high note of this cd has to be konko below which is so addictive. you just have to dance to this joint if u listen to it at any point. i mean u dont just know but u find yourself moving ur body especially when the lady there does excellently with her singing skills.other tracks to check out include every single song on the album so u should understand how good this album is and it is definitely not a waste of money. my favourite songs on this album are konko below,prayer for the youth,nothing for you(my second best song),prayer for the youth,suruu lere.every song brings something different so there aint no repetition or that sort of thing.good value for ur money.peace and love.1

The sound of this masked piper of Yorubaland is nothing short of phenomenal. Adopting a fusion of old and new, Lagbaja reaches way back to the choruses that accompanied folk tales told on moonlit nights in villages and towns throughout Yorubaland in the fifties and sixties. Not only are the songs ancient, they also take on a modern form through Lagbaja's masterful tenor saxophone and a host of other modern instruments to make the dancing pleasure even more pleasurable. Lagbaja is not only a musician but a prophet as well when you consider how he successfully captured the voice of Nigeria's modern Cicero on track seven and crystalizes the prayer uttered by the late Chief Bola Ige in "Prayer For The Youth." Listening to this album/cd is a pleasure unmatched in modern times. With the passage of Fela comes Lagbaja as historian in a sort of magical realism creating a dialogue on African culture with the Abami Eda himself, a feat made possible through the proficient use of modern technology. Lagbaja is also a patriot as he opened this CD with a much-needed message of unity and peaceful co-existence between the many nationalities that make up modern-day Nigeria. This album is truly an African original, but it also ranks among jazz greats of yesteryears like Thelonious Monk, Dexter Gordon and John Coltrane. This CD is a must-have without which no musical selection is complete.

Lagbaja really distills the bubbling side of Lagos, uniting Fela's politics, Sunny's great combo of traditional Yoruba instrumentalism with some electrification, and his own combination of fun, humor, and eclecticism. Shoulders and ikebes will be moving. He's been a Lagos favorite for years, and his popularity is moving throughout Nigeria--who can resist the girl-chasing "Nothing for You" ("I may be 40-something, I may be 30-something, but in my heart, I'm 20-something") paired with the sardonic political history of "Suuru Lere"?

But this release is a little different from the Nigerian one--where "Gra Gra" and "Konko Below" are on a different CD, "Me." Here's hoping all his CDs get released in the U.S., particularly the first, with infectious tunes like "Africalypso," "Dis is Lagos," and "Coolu Temper."

Happy, intelligent, provocative--the masked man with the saxophone embodies what makes Nigeria such a creative, hustling and lively place.

I just came back from Reggae on the River where I caught this band from Africa.In a word fantastic. By wearing the mask, Lagbaja is representing Everyman and will continue to wear the mask until everyman is treated equally. The song "Simple Yes or No" is asking for a straight answer from governments be they African or American. His band mostly dressed in traditional African clothes played and danced with the kind of energy that comes from African tradition. This album captures some of that energy. If you get the chance don't miss seeing them in person.

I've seen Lagbaja live and I have to say this CD doesn't do him justice. There is an impassioned energy to his live show that just isn't present here. I believe this is mostly due to the fact that this is obviously a low budget recording. It sounds as if the majority of the music was programmed on a Korg M1 keyboard. On most tracks, the only real recorded musicians are Lagbaja, some backing vocalists, and percussionists. Even Lagbaja's sax playing is backed up by a canned eighties sounding keyboard horn patch rather than a real horn section. I understand that all the tracks on this CD were taken from Lagbaja's previous Nigerian releases. It is typical now days for recordings made in Nigeria to be very low budget and primarily sequenced on a keyboard. While Nigeria is an artistically rich country it is also financially poor compared with most western nations. Low budget recordings are a necessity in Nigeria, but if the record label that released this in the US really wanted to represent Lagbaja well, they would have gotten his entire band into the studio and recorded it right. There just isn't that energy that you hear on good recordings by Fela Kuti or Sunny Ade.

Also, I agree with a previous reviewer that while Labaja lyrics and persona are interesting, he certainly isn't breaking a lot of new ground. He's obviously living in the shadow of Fela Kuti. Live, Lagbaja has some great grooves and he's obviously a talented musician. He has some good songs and I'm sure many listeners won't be as bothered by the recording quality as I am. Obviously most of the other reviewers here are ecstatic about this CD, but I hope to hear Lagbaja and his band better recorded in the future.

If you're interested the modern sound of Nigeria you'd do better to check out Bola Abimbola. If you just want to hear the modern version of Fela Kuti then listen to his son Femi Kuti. At least his stuff has been captured well on CD.