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Femi Kuti
Femi Kuti
1995
Wikipedia
Reviews
Like a review? Give it a thumb up to help us display relevant reviews!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
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?
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.
I liked the Fela Kuti album better by his dad I think. This one was ok but got a bit repetitive
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!
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
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!
Pretty decent. Could hear this being played on a loop at like an outdoor pizza / pop-up bars food quadrant during the Edinburgh festival or something.
New to me. One thing you are not seeing a lot of in the music published for the American market is calls for Aftican unity. I liked this album.
I do like a bit of Afrobeat. I'm more familiar with Femi's father, Fela, but this was great too. Fave track "Plenty Nonsense"
Given how much I loved the Fela Kuti (Femi's father) album on this list, I had high hopes for this one. I certainly wasn't disappointed by this album, but it had a lot to live up to and couldn't quite get there. Make no mistake, Femi Kuti is a very talented artist and Femi Kuti is a very good album, but it didn't make me feel "definitely five stars, yes sir" like Fela Kuti's Live! did.
Very fun African jazz - great listen and surprised there weren't more listens on Spotify. 7/10.
Schon mächtiges Zeug dabei. War ich bei Wonder Wonder noch skeptisch, wuchs spätestens bei Frustrations das Grinsen wegen der Rhythmik, der Spielfreude und der ganzen gut eingebundenen Wildheit des Orchesters. Und weil sich das zum Ende hin ja auch eher noch gesteigert hat (wobei: am meisten gekriegt haben sie mich direkt mit Nawa) gibt’s gerne 3,9 Punkte. Oder auch 4,1, je nach Laune.
Yé Yé Yé Yé ! Gut gelaunt und mit virtuosen Einzelplayern innerhalb der ganzen Kombo bläst Kronprinz Kuti selbst die „frustrations of a young man“ positiv geladen in die Welt. Das Album hört sich live eingespielt und dabei extrem harmonisch abgemischt (Drums !!!!) an. Nach der Session muss das Gemeinschaftsgefühl irre stark gewesen sein - ich glaube ihnen jede Note. Eine mit Händen greifbare Qualität, die sich in dieser Bewertung mehr niederschlägt als mein persönlicher Gefallen am Style. 3.6
Cracking listen. Hadn't heard of this artist before but really enjoyed this album. One of the best so far
Pues chido, chill y la verdad no sé qué tanto más puedo decir. Me es muy ajeno este género, pero no es para nada desagradable al oido. Mood: no lo sé Rick
African Jazz - Good jam sessions. Was not expecting it to be so good since I have never heard of this album before today.
Energetic, pure, afrobeat, from a classic artist. It's not my favorite genre ever, but it holds a special place in my heart.
Was pleasantly surprised by this one, for world music it sounded a lot more “European” than I had expected. Hints of ska in the music as well. Was very enjoyable
The energy never dies. A frantic, funky record. Only one real slow spot, the rest of it has me moving. Favorite track: "Nawa"
Great funky Afrobeat with a pan-African message. Very enjoyable and danceable. The production is very 90s but works well with the music.
Love these long songs, layers of instrumentation and vocals that sustain the energy throughout. Really excellent music. A bit pit off by the homophobia(?) In the final song. 4.5/5
Uplifting and funky as hell. Every musician in the backing band is at the top of their game
All the african music we've had on this list has been great, should be more of this stuff and less morrissey and wanky britpop
1. Africa XD 2. Drums and sax and percussion 3. Rhythmic 4. Chilled beats with light jazz taste
I've had some Afro-Cuban Jazz on this list so far, this is my first pure African Jazz. I really enjoyed it, this artist is very talented. It had great energy and it definitely makes you want to dance.
Eso es lo chevere de esta página. Sino ¿como conocer a un representante del Afrobeat? Interesante producción!
Fantastic - a lot of energy. I enjoyed this as much, and perhaps even more than Fela Kuti - though they do sound very similar. Apple doesn't fall far from the tree
I really enjoyed this entire album. It was really great musically and fun to listen to
This was pretty cool -- would listen again to have on in the background in the kitchen or outside or something. Approve!
I enjoyed this a lot! I wish I knew more about Nigerian politics so I could understand mate of the anger in there. But he's translated much of that anger into a joyous, danceable afrobeat masterpiece!
It's a good album and I remember it slightly from when it was popular. It paved the way for a whole swath of immensely talented musicians from the African continent to get some recognition in Western charts and sales. This album by itself is a bit slick, very 80's, even with the afrobeats.
It’s hard for me to rate these because I know so little of Nigerian music except Fela Kuti. I loved how the music sounded live, and of course the Afrobeat with full band sounds amazing—energetic, passionate. The lyrics were really moving. Four stars, but I wish I knew more of Nigerian and African music to compare it to.
Like father like son. Femi adds a touch of western songcraft to his fathers Afro agit funk which probably makes this easier for newbies, but the beat and the commitment is still there. Recommended.
I'm not very familiar with the Kutis' body of work, but I believe I enjoyed Fela's tunes more on first listen (though to be fair I do not remember). There seem to be some good lyrical themes here, but the way I listened to the project was not conducive to picking them up fully. A satisfying listen, if a bit long; At this length, I'd rather hear more explicit improvisation.
Seemed ok. Unfortunately got talked over and eventually turned down to an inaudible level
Great African jazz, lots of different styles though with some very hectic moments too.
Really cool album to get introduced to! Looked up Femi and his story is pretty cool too!
some real groovy ensemble, african group with themes of prospertity, non violence, peace, etc
Muy instrumental y entretenido efectivo para tenerlo sonando mientras hacia tarea. Feliz miercolitros o como prefiero decirle ombliguito de semana
Cool African sound. Some interesting longer tracks with long instrumental sections. Grooves are unusual but very cool. Instrumentation and production has a bit of a 90s sound, but the music is compelling enough for it to hold up anyway. It has a bit of jazzy vibe. Lyrics are a little corny.
One of the pleasant surprises of the list. I was not aware of Fela Kuti's son music career; the record is pretty strong. Fierce funk and jazz with long arrangements and appealing choruses and leading voice
Ik vond dit eigenlijk interessanter dan de plaat van z’n vader, Fela Kuti, die we laatst moesten luisteren. Ik twijfelde over een 4, omdat ik al die verschillende instrumenten en de vrolijkheid echt tof vind. Toch een 3 omdat ik van bepaalde nummers onrustig werd.
Some decent jazz and I generally like African-based popular music, but this one really didn't resonate with me.
Good, but not nearly as good as the work of Fela Kuti. Often times feels too polished. A nice piece of work though.
Some good fun tracks, can see myself dipping back into it, but doubt I'd ever listen to the whole album again
I have heard of Femi Kuti before, but I can't say if I've ever listened to any of his music all the way through. "Frustrations" was the track I enjoyed the most, followed by the fun little funk of "Nawa (Intro)". A few tracks kept this album in the 3 star range.
Another example of what the US people understand about "world music", nice álbum but nothing special.
African style jazzy world music. Quite enjoyable but I doubt I will listen to it again. Another great artist for name checking.
Solid vibes, good for some beach or cookout tunes. Not wheelhouse for my tastes but adjacent.
- Fun afrobeat with engaging musicianship - Somewhat repetitive and boring in parts but nice in the background - Some sections are jazzy and engaging but big-band makes it a little messy.
The compositions are too long and improvised. Obviously the musicianship is amazing, but as a live album this would probably have made more sense.
Not something I would listen to regularly, but I liked it. Good afrobeat grooves. 3 stars.
It's infectiously upbeat, optimistic, and energetic with a great sounding mix. The into to Nawa was especially upbeat.
Apple music marks this as "funk" - which...it is not. Categorizing music often isn't easy so how to categorize? I've seen "Afrobeat" which, ok. World+jazz+fusion maybe? For the most part this is simultaneously easy to listen to (passive listening) yet complex enough to actively dig in and appreciate the music and musicians on an individual level. My personal issues with it are that most of the songs just go on too long and soon become repetitive which that alone kind of knocks this down a peg for me - it's not the length alone that gets me, but each of these could probably have been cut down to around 4 minutes. All in all I like the music but it simply got a little tiring. 5/10 3 stars
i actually liked it fkr a little while o thought it was just fun and interesting but after awhile it got reallyyy repetitive.
Enjoyable listen of not a bit repetitive. Drags on a bit but I would revisit if in the mood
The oldest son of Feli Kuti, Femi Kuti is just as talented! There are just some days when this is the perfect thing to listen to - today, for me, was one of those days. So glad to welcome this album into my life. I absolutely loved this album and I can't wait to get to know it better.
3.6 - Femi continues Fela's legacy. In fact, to me the two sound identical: staccato rhythm guitar, strong dance percussion, big brass, political lyrics.
Musically it’s good. I liked having it on in the background while I worked. It didn’t make an impact though. It’s just not for me.
Unexpectedly really fun listen. Great jazz grooves, some of which were reminiscent of some 70s soul/funk but with the African chanting thrown into it. Found some of the songs to be a bit too long with lots of repetition but a fun album nonetheless.
I overall enjoyed it a good amount, but unfortunately it was a bit long for me without a ton of genre variation, if it was a little shorter I'd give it a 4 and live I'm sure 4.5+.
So hard to listen to this without constantly comparing it to his father's music. I really wish he had gone in a completely different direction so that you could listen to his music more objectively. I can understand why he would want to build on what his father had built though, especially as at this point his father had pretty much stopped recording music altogether. He does a good job trying to maintain his father's legacy I suppose, but to me this just sounds like an edited down Fela with a dash more Juju/Highlife thrown in here and there. Being recorded so crisply doesn't help it to my ear either. It has its moments but mostly it just makes me want to go listen to Fela instead.
There's good songs here and Femi is a talented musician but the production hasn't aged well at all. Could definitely use a remaster
I took a deep breath and I can smell the earthly scent of this beautiful continent. Afrobeat is a nice upbeat genre that conjures images of festivals. This album nailed that festive energy. Most of the songs are a bit overlong and I'm not a big fan of those vocals. But still, I enjoyed the overall vibes of this one. Definitely deserves spot in that thousand and one sized list.
I don't know what to really say about this. It's hard to resist the rhythm and the beats here. And if you listen to it while you're working or hanging around the house, you'll definitely be grooving around unconsciously. Nothing not to like here, but as I say about a lot of these music-centric, international, and jazz albums - the performance aspect likely outshines any recording. There's only so far an album like this can really take me.
I was really enjoying it but then I looked and it was still missing one half of time play. Nice sounds nice rhythm but it was loooong
Afro-beat combined with some James Brown's funk music, highlife and jazz. (6/10) FT: Wonder Wonder
This album wasn’t bad but it def started to drag on since it’s 73 minutes of traditional African music. Not great bike riding music
this was a cool listen! it was something out of my norm and i made sure to really listen as a result. every time the horns were present, they dominated!! the horns definitely made the album great. some great themes here, too.
Granted, I'm not into the Western African World Music scene, but after some exposure to Femi Kuti's father Felt and Ali Farka Touré, I had higher hopes for this album. Femi has it tough, being the child of a legend and while this album is a good listen, I don't grasp it as much as the others. Femi Kuti's self-titled album is a fun listen, spanning jazz, fusion, punk, afro-cuban, and soul. Some of the songs suffer by being way too long and repetitive. 3/5.
Keeping close to his father's model. Great playing. The production had a bit too much 90s sheen, but it did mean that everything stood out clearly. I always appreciate a prominent bass!
This was a fun listen that makes me want to see how Femi Kuti’s music might have evolved over the years.
Tight! Aika vahvasti tää on kopiota isänsä musiikillisesta perinnöstä. Jos joku tän laittais soimaan niin tietäisin kyllä että kyseessä on Kuti, mutta luultavasti veikkaisin Felaa enkä Femiä. Ei omena kauas putoa. Ehkä erona on sit vähän erottelevampi miksaus tjs seisariin verrattuna. Groovyy shittiihän tää on, mutta aika tyypillistä afrofunkulaa! 3/5
Very upbeat, songs are sooooo long though, I have an hour plus commute and only got through 7 songs.
It's nice to hear something different, though this doesn't really go anywhere or do anything interesting. It's listenable and happily sits in the background without catching my attention too much.
Not there for me, muchas de las canciones suenan muy semejantes, y aunque es bueno descubrir música de otras culturas, a la mitad del álbum ya me había aburrido
Past goed bij de tropische omstandigheden, maar ik heb toch iets te weinig met wereldmuziek. Na een paar nummers afgezet.
I don't get it. If you are going to pick 2 or 3 African albums for a list like this one, why would you go for the ones with the most Western influence, where the sophisticated intertwining rhythms characteristic of the best African music are blunted in favor of weak funk and jazz tropes and the distinctive sound palette of the various African countries is traded in for standard Western instrumentation, like a sub-Tower of Power horn section, and electric piano? That objection aside, there is nothing particularly wrong with Femi Kuti. It passes by painlessly enough. Femi Kuti is decent if unremarkable singer. The musicians are competent enough. But the music is a micron deep. There are no interesting rhythms to dig into. The horn section writing is unimaginative. Soloing is often a weak point in African music, and so it is here. Since the songs almost entirely of vamps, it's a whole lot of nothing. 2/5
Great voice and a few high points music wise, but it has way too much saxophone and isn't a genre I'd listen to again.
An ok reggae funk album. Probably would’ve been better without lyrics. The beats are good but the album runs pretty long and gets dull a bit. 4.9/10
My first experience with afrobeat!! Enjoyable listen, starts strong with Wonder Wonder. This feels like you stepped off the plane in West Africa for the first time. Hope you like brass and percussion.
This album is not my jam. I can appreciate the cool Afro Beats, but it's not something that I'd willingly listen to. The arrangements were very long, which dragged out the album. Best: Wonder Wonder Worst: Stubbor Problems
Maybe it is the way jazz is, even "world jazz", but i find this more stressful than enjoyable to listen to. It's bold, brash and all over the place.
Some quite catchy tunes but it gets a bit samey and some of the tracks feel a bit too long. Half of the songs last for close to 10 minutes!
Jazzy funky Afro beat music. Perfectly ok, but I wouldn’t listen to it. Stand out tracks are No Shame and Live For Today
I was not familiar with this artist before. The album was a little long and the songs were long 6-9 minutes long. The songs turned into a jam session. I am not sure I would seek this album out again.
Not for me. The songs are just way too long and repetitive to be enjoyable. Nice that it's on the list though, it's important to have some world music, just not my kind of music.
The songs here are not made for those with short attention spans. Afrobeat goes on and on and on. There are flashes of excellent parts but then it just seems to fall apart and move into blandness again. It wouldn't be so bad if the tunes were good but it all just blends into one jumble of noise. It feels like something hipsters would put on at a dinner party. I just hope I'm not at it. Best Tracks: Wonder Wonder; Nawa; Plenty Nonsense
For one of the best 1001 albums, the wikipedia entry is pretty scant. Starts of sounding like bad 80s jazz before becoming the sound of dirty hippy stoners in the mid-90s and keeps on this path throughout.
This one was pretty fun to listen to, although it did overstay it's welcome. Something like this could be reduced down to 30-40 minutes and be fine. 70+ minutes of this does not do much for me. I liked some parts of these songs, it just kind of all blends in after a while.
It was okay! This isn’t particularly my jam. Glad to be exposed to some Afrobeat music in here, though!
I don't know, man. Afrobeat never was my genre but here's just so much saxophone on this record. The songs are slickly produced but, somehow, rarely engaging and, by about halfway through, everything began to sound the same. And there were just so many saxophone solos. So many.
Zu lang. Ich frage mich, warum ich das heute hören musste. Aufwendig arrangiert und komponiert empfinde ich es dennoch als oberflächlich, erreicht mich in keinster Weise.
Om eerlijk te zijn ook niet echt een kans gegeven, maar ik was er voor het einde van het eerste nummer al wel klaar mee...
The instrumentals are okay but i don't like the vocals