Music Is Love

"Music Is Love" Hot SONGS of the Week

A while ago we wrote here about our deep love for female reggae artists, from Marcia Griffiths to Lady Saw.  In that spirit we wanted to highlight some new tracks we're feeling...

"Somebody Come Get Me" by Melanie Hall aka Syren, from Reggae Gold 2008.  The chorus goes: "Somebody come get me, before I kill this man / Somebody come get me, take this knife out my hand."  MC is becoming a bit alarmed by how much AW likes this song.   If you don't see another post here in the next week or two, MC requests that you call the police.

"Like the Stars" by the Easy Star All-Stars, from the Until That Day EP.  The singer is Tamar-Kali. This is the same collective that did the slamming Radiodread and Dub Side of the Moon albums (reggae tributes to Radiohead's OK Computer and Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon).  If you have doubts about whether their original songs are as good as their covers, just listen to this!

Seun Kuti at Central Park

"FELA LIVES"

We could go on for pages about why Fela Kuti was such a towering figure in music and in the world.  He absolutely deserves to be mentioned in the same breath as Marley, Dylan, Lennon.  Or as Mos Def once said: "Fela Anikulapo Kuti was James Brown, Huey Newton, Rick James, Bob Marley, Duke Ellington, and ODB all rolled up in one black African fist.  The protest artist as a real live, awake and hungry human being.  Africa's original rock superstar."

But of course words mean nothing compared to hearing that blistering Afrobeat groove.  And experiencing it live is something else altogether.  Fela's shows at his nightclub in Nigeria were legendary sweat-soaked marathons, and he toured the States in the late 80s/early 90s -- but we were both pretty young then and not in-the-know.

Which is probably why the show at Central Park felt so special.  It was as close as we could possibly get to the real thing -- the same smoking band, Egypt 80, now led by Fela's youngest son Seun.

Our friend and guest photographer Eric really captured (in the pictures above and below) how Seun was channeling his father.

Goodies: "Many Things" is our fave song from the brand new debut album by Seun Kuti & Egypt 80.