Album Review: Ibibio Sound Machine- Uyai

So-called “world music” radio programming in the pre-internet era frustrated me.  The majority of the specialty DJs on college and public radio stations condescendingly prized rigid stylistic purity.  Performers like Angelique Kidjo who dared to incorporate contemporary styles into their sounds were dismissed in favor of “authentic” artists.  Selections like ”Give Me a Reason” on Ibibio Sound Machine’s Uyai that betray the influence of acts ranging from Dr. Buzzard’s Original Savannah Band to Thomas Dolby would never would have been played by those patronizing gatekeepers.  And that’s a large part of what makes Uyai wonderful.


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I reviewed Art Garfunkel’s concert at Helzberg Hall.

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I reviewed Joseph’s concert at the Madrid Theatre.

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I write weekly concert previews for The Kansas City Star and Ink magazine.

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I wrote an extended concert preview about Sunny Sweeney for The Kansas City Star and Ink magazine.

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I commended the popularity of the Elders on KCUR.

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Dave Valentin has died.

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Tommy Page has died.

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The Kansas City rapper CB channels Atlanta on his latest track.

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Would you rather be an elite name in an esoteric realm or a mid-tier performer in a more popular format?  José James has opted for the latter.   He discards almost every trace of the sound that once made him a rising star in the jazz world on his fine neo-soul album Love In a Time of Madness.  RIYL: Robin Thicke, successful transitions, Ledisi.

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No matter how hard I try, I just can’t get with the new wave of stylish rock-informed jazz bands led by Snarky Puppy.  Kneebody’s Anti-Hero makes me wish I was listening to my old James “Blood” Ulmer, Billy Cobham or King Crimson albums instead.

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Chicano Batman’s Freedom Is Free may be my all-time favorite Grateful Dead album.  Here’s ”Friendship (Is a Small Boat in a Storm”.

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Fat Joe and Remy Ma’s Plata O Plomo is old-school fun.  RIYL: Big Pun, 2000, New York.  Here’s “Money Showers”.

(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)

The Sickness

An ongoing battle with the flu has left me feeling like a desiccated bird.  The following loose ends are all I muster at the moment.


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I reviewed Karrin Allyson's concert at the Folly Theater.

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The Kansas City Star published a few dozen top album lists.

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Deborah Brown is Plastic Sax's Person of the Year.

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I participated in a Best Music of 2014 program on KCUR's Up to Date.  I also contributed Local Listen segments about BCR and Oleta Adams to the show.

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I lost my mind over The Gobots' D-Boy Era in 2010.  What Happened to the World, the Jacka's new album, is the best thing he's done since then.  RIYL: Mac Dre, crack, Too Short.  Here's "Gang Starz".

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I had to stop listening to Beautiful Life, Jimmy Greene's tribute to his late daughter, when a children's choir entered on "Ana's Song."

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J. Cole's 2014 Forest Hills Drive is entertaining radio rap.  RIYL: Wale, rappers rapping about their careers, Kid Cudi.

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I regret not listening to Sunny Sweeney's Provoked sooner.  It may be the best contemporary country album of 2014.  RIYL: Miranda Lambert, cheatin' songs, Kacey Musgraves.

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Orange Goblin's Back From the Abyss is RIYL: Motorhead, beer, Black Sabbath.

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Sleaford Mod's Divide and Exit is a hoot.  RIYL: Art Brut, getting yelled at, The Fall.

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The hilarious Stromae demonstrates his great taste in a "What's In My Bag?" segment.

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I respect the fact that a lot of my friends adore TV on the Radio's Seeds, but the album is not for me.  At every turn I expect the band to break into "The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway."  RIYL: The Mars Volta, punk-prog, The Police's Synchronicity.  Here's "Happy Idiot".

(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)