Lagos No Shaking

TONY ALLEN
Lagos No Shaking (Astralwerks)

The reinvention of this former Afrika 70 musical director has taken numerous directions. Tony Allen remains one of the most trusted and respected names in drumming, with roots in American jazz in 1964, African highlife a few years later and, eventually, the music of James Brown and Max Roach while touring with Fela Kuti in the ‘70s. He stayed with the Black President until 1979, yet even during that time he was cutting his own records, like ‘75’s Progress. So while his name is synonymous with Afrobeat, experimenting was always in the cards.

Thus his work with Manu Dibango in the ‘80s, on to electronica a decade later, and culminating with 2002’s Home Cooking. That last record was a culmination of his love for R&B and hip-hop, and while it had its moments, lacked his trustworthy bite. His side work was prevalent, playing on Susheela Raman’s excellent Love Trap while seeing many of his first recordings re-released with the emergence of Fela’s legacy. Perhaps it was all the old recordings circulating inspiring Lagos No Shaking. Whatever turned him back toward his heyday, it was a blessing.

While every artist reserves the right to reinvent their creations, returning to fundamentals can prove evolutionary in itself. The 11 tracks on Lagos are brilliant throwbacks to the Fela era, albeit written in the more accustomed five-minute format. Yet you wish they would extend to those 20-minute explorations – the grooves are deep enough to hold such weight. Allen is a true master of rhythm, finding a pocket few of our time can maintain. Everything is simply right on this album: the production meshing congas with Allen’s sturdy kit, the revolving vocalists, horn lines and seductive bass tones. Nothing is out of place.

Allen has not forgotten his mission by any means; he merely lays a new foundation for the music he loves. Guests include the 76 year-old palm wine singer and thumb pianist Fatai Rolling Dollar and Yoruba singer Yinka Davies, as well as pulling old school horn sections into the mix. Inside these classics younger vocalists such as Omololu Ogunleye and Muritala Adisa bring youthful vibrancy. He keeps the joyous aspects of song alive, as on the upbeat “One Tree,” and fuels his penchant for R&B with the sensual “Losun.” The closing drum/flute jam, “Gdebu,” reminds the listener Allen has in no way confused where African music’s original infrastructure: indigenous ritual music. The entire Lagos No Shaking is a tribal record for modern warriors, with Allen still leading the charge.