Expected nothing, got everything. Awesome fucking record.
Femi Kuti is the third album by Nigerian musician Femi Kuti released in 1995. It was released on Motown's Tabu Records label. The album introduced Femi Kuti and afrobeat to an international audience.
Expected nothing, got everything. Awesome fucking record.
It's not an album you could put on any time, any day. But at the right time this is awesome. For me that was making breakfast on a Sunday morning and this had me bouncing around the kitchen.
hard, if not impossible, to compare his work to his father's. his shadow looms large but this is still worth a listen! fav track: changes
When you're the son of one of the most revolutionary musicians of the second half of the 20th Century, it's best to be aware of the massive sized shoes that would hopefully be filled but Femi Kuti's self-titled does all that and then some. Bringing, and refining, his father's penchant for lengthy jams about societal and personal issues into the 90s (atrocious album cover aside), this over an hour long collection gives the listener an understanding of who Femi is and what he could be capable of, regardless of the knowledge of who preceded him. The songs may be long but the grooves are undeniable and the pedigree beyond worthwhile.
Refreshing album that I’ve always wondered about. It would be beautiful to see him at a festival. Not sure I’d ever choose this album again but I appreciated nonetheless
Think if Earth, Wind and Fire were from Nigeria. A great jazz-funk album all around. Lots of fun, infectious grooves, and top talent to boot. Who knew listening to a sax-led band could be so much fun?
great album with great sounds. The tunes slap hard. solid 9/10
Funky, groovy Jazz. Hooks you in with the first couple of beats and doesn't let go!
I didn't even notice the songs were 9 minutes long because I was having so much fun
Nothing else I can say other than this album will exceed every expectation you may or may not have
Not going to lie, this slaps. Fantastic, really fun, amazing
Not generally a world music fan, but the debut album by Femi Kuti is an absolute monster. A tour de force os musicianship, with Femi’s voice and sax playing leading the way. The call and response at the end of “Frustrations” between Femi’s sax and the percussion is a highlight. Loved it all the way through!
At first it just made me want to listen to Fela. But after a bit I really got into it.
Wow, this is fantastic! Superb performances, so expressive, and such a nice blend of styles and ideas. I'll bet it's great to see him play live.
This album is really cool! I it's full of cool rhythms and groovy sax. It also feels like experiencing a new culture through the music alone. The song, Frustration, makes me feel like I am playing as Knuckles in Sonic Adventure 2 haha. Favorite track: Frustration and Survival
So funky and groovy. The music is uplifting and danceable while the lyrics are political. Very glad to be introduced to this artist. Favorite tracks: Frustrations, Plenty Nonsense, Live for Today
Interesting, very African sounding, fun, different genre to the rest of the albums really
Vibes. At first glance, I had thought this was going to be a Fela Kuti album (who also has some banging music), but was pleasantly surprised to find someone new in the genre. The orchestration is superb and I found myself getting quite pumped up as I listened to it during a workout. I'm a sucker for some saxophone and he can really rip. There is enough genre bending across the album to hold your attention and he does so without losing the core sound. Overall, a great time but I don't know how often I would go looking for it to listen. Stand out track: Survival
Wonder Wonder - 7.5/10 Survival- 7.5/10 Frustrations - 8/10 Nawa - intro - 7.5/10 Nawa - 8/10 Plenty Nonsense - 8/10 Stubbor problems - 7.5/10 No Shame - 8/10 Live for Today - 8/10 Changes - 8/10 TOTAL - 78/100
Interesting. Clearly solid music. But not for me really
Clearly talented but totally not my thing
I liked the Fela Kuti album better by his dad I think. This one was ok but got a bit repetitive
No. Just. No.
Another 0 to 5-star album.
Sin miedo al éxito.
I thought this was older, but it still was funky as fuck
Gran álbum, aunque no sé si es legit musica 'africana' (etiqueta abarcadora) o como entendemos a veces desde otros polos la música africana. De cualqueir forma, canciones largas, pero nunca aburridas. Bien hechas, amé todo. Mis favoritas: "Nawa" y "Stubbor Problems". 10/10
Very fun album! "Afrobeat" I believe is the correct term. Cool African jazz. Loved it!
This should be good.
🙂 Very very good 🙂
Loved it
Erg dansbare muziek, leuk met de saxofoon ertussen. Heel hard van genoten
Great, relaxing album
tipo fela kuti?
Afrobeat realness - inject it into my veins
Amazing album and body of work
No expectations and found it very enjoyable. Always enjoyed having a horn section. Ended up listening to a lot of his other stuff. I’m glad I’m listening to these
Great album. What I always imagined afro jazz could be at its best.
Das hat mir ziemlich gut gefallen, ich war auch überrascht wie konsistent das über die lauflänge ist. Aber das hat einfach richtig schön sommerliche vibes und macht brutal gute Laune obwohl die Texte teilweise nen ganz anderen Ton anschlagen. Gerade in einer so volatilen Situation wie Nigeria in den 90ern ist das Album aber total symptomatisch, also bzgl der zeitlichen Distanz zum Bürgerkrieg, anhaltenden ethnischen Konflikten, aber auch Aufbruchsstimmung und Hoffnung für die Zukunft. Genau das findet sich hier alles wieder, also es wird nicht explizit ausgesprochen aber gerade in dem tollen „Frustrations“ kommt dieser Spirit total zur Geltung. Super Album!
9/10
04/18/22
A great album.
Afrobeat perfection
A great afrobeat, funky, jazzy af album. Great stuff!!
This album is a real fun listen. I love the jazz and big band elements mixed with the Afrobeat
Wow! What a fun album to listen to! Each track was awesome and so different! I’ve never listened to anything like it.
Fun album
So awesome. A lot like his father's music, but more structured and more modern production.
Hooked within first 5 seconds,.didn't let up
bom demais o sonzao
Decent lots of instruments reminds me of jazz idk good vocals but with ok lyrics I like changes and frustration
Never heard of this before but I think it's brilliant
Do you like jams? Do you like bitching jams? Do you like bitching afro pop jams? Well...
Always here for Afrobeat. Fela Kuti A+ Femi Kuti A+
terrific
Amazing album with a lot of Soul/Funk/Jazz elements. Great use of the percussion and the album has a good energy!
Fenomenaal lekker album, kan zo een paar keer op repeat en dan mag het nog wel doorgaan. Femi is de zoon van afrobeat legende Fela Kuti, en het duidelijk te horen dat die alles mee heeft gekregen. Voor de nieuwe leden in de groep echt een aanrader!
Jaaaaaa daar is ‘ie dan, m’n eerste 5 sterren!!!! Ik had alleen maar durven dromen dat er een afrobeat album tussen zou zitten en wat een banger!! Deze komt in de standaard rotatie
Perfekt für Julian
Love this! Gets me moving every time.
I was very pleasantly surprised by this album. Give it a listen, it's worth it
So good. I love stumbling upon stuff like this that I'd never usually listen to, and Femi's family history is nothing short of incredible. It's an uplifting, energetic, politically switched-on and occasionally very funny album.
More Kuti is just what I needed.
Surprisingky brilliant. What an album. An essential record.
Great. Easily listen-to-able, band's tight, what could you dislike?
Astounding. 5 stars. His dad weould be proud.
At femi kuti var så bra, like under nivået til sin egen far, er sjukt imponerende og fett!
Great Afro-pop. Had no idea he was Fela's son, totally thought I was being reductive by thinking they sounded very similar. I swear Gorillaz sampled the riff from Survival in one of the Demon Days songs (maybe La Manana?)
Do you want to get up and smile and dance for an hour? Put this on.
Good stuff
This is so different to anything I would normally listen to. But it's a party. Such a fun album, will definitely listen again.
Excellent! Wow!
I don't actually know this album but it's Femi Kuti so I'd gonna be good!1
I liked it. Singer has a Harry Bellefonte vibe going for him. Would listen again
While slightly more vocal, Femi Kuti is clearly following in the footsteps of his father, Fela Kuti.
This one took me by surprise. I was expecting some awful tribal world music but this is reminiscent of the best soul/funk of 70s America. Amazing album.
Very nice record! I didn’t know him before but it’s simply feel good music.
That was brilliant. So much joy and diversity in each song. The liberal use of horn sections was *chef's kiss*
Have not ventured into Fela's son. I'm excited... Well very similar to Fela. 5/5
Am a huge Fela Kuti fan so naturally loved this. Interesting to hear classic Afrobeat with signature 90s production, and Femi manages to mark his own style on his fathers legacy.
Never heard of this artist but a really great afrobeat album. Excellent.
Dank as fuck
Greatest live show I've ever seen! The one song 30 minute encore covering his father's song Water No Get Enemy was magical! Looking forward to listening to this again, it's been too long! Great feel to this, a lot of energy and the right amount of political outrage! Doing his father proud! Band tight as hell songs just fucking go!
way too much fun
Got me dancin!
I had never heard of Femi Kuti before, but what a way to spend a lazy Sunday afternoon. Hypnotic African beats with healthy doses of jazz and funk.
Not just walking in his father's footsteps, but SPRINTING.
Great rhythms and impossible not to bop your head to everything
This is what I’m here for
10/10 I’ve been a fan of Fela Kuti’s Zombie album for a long time; it’s really cool knowing his son is just as talented
I actually listen to this album frequently. I really enjoy it. I love those African beats.
loooved it. was such a surprise, i wasn't expecting this to be such a banger of an album.
Absolute bop. I had never heard of this artist before but I will definitely be listening again!
Wow
Phenomenal record, had me grooving the whole time. Very much influenced by the sound of his father but elevated and updated with an incredibly heavy horn section and some great incorporations of synths/organs. Top tracks: Wonder Wonder, Survival, Frustrations, Nawa, No Shame, Live For Today
Great! You can hear the influence of his dad, but it doesn’t feel derivative.
Loved the beats on this one!! I danced in the kitchen while I was cooking it was heaven!!
This is an album I won't soon forget. Incredible music, just incredible. Time went by so fast as I worked with this album in my ears. I was grooving and dancing all the way through. I don't know when next I might listen to this again, but this has definitely been my favorite album in my music discovering journey so far. I think I'd prefer to give it a 4.5 but I can't so I'll let it be a close 5.
Albums like this are why I wanted to to through this list in the first place. I don't think I would ever find this on my own, but I love it and can't wait to listen again. The energy and joyous performances hit you right in the face, but the vocals and lyrics also hit you in the face for a competent different reason. I'm sold and I want to drive more into Femi's stuff now.
The sax sure is saxy. A real snarky puppy bug band jazz sound 5