Search - Femi Kuti :: Day By Day

Femi's most distinctive and jazzy.

Pedder | New York, NY | 12/22/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"It's seven years since Femi's last studio album. He has been busy touring and running his "Shrine" nightclub in Lagos, where his band plays weekly when he is in town.

"Day By Day" is Femi Kuti's first album proper since Fight to Win in 2001

Femi, now 46, is one of Africa's most respected musicians.

There are few musicians who have followed so decisively in their father's footsteps as Femi. The pioneer of Afrobeat, the superfunky amalgam of Black Power politics, jazz and traditional rhythm, Nigerian Fela Kuti died a decade ago but Femi, heir to one of the world's most explosive musical legacies, has kept the powerful big-band sound alive and vehemently kicking with honking horns and thundering polyrhythms.

The tradition of thrilling Afrobeat, developed by Fela, kept alive by Femi, with its hypnotic pulsing rhythms punctuated by bursts of brass has always been influenced by US music, from jazz and soul through to funk.

Femi's music often closely recalls his influences, here specifically jazz and soul of the committed Curtis Mayfield variety.

He began his career with a tighter, more high-energy variant on his father's classic sound, but "Day by Day" is rather laid-back and melodic.

While the horn refrains have the essential dark-toned Afrobeat feel, the rhythmic base has a deeper, mellower swing, Femi's light yet throaty voice showing the influence of the churchier side of American soul.

The nursery rhyme homilies of the title track show him moving away from Fela's musical territory, though the steaming call-and-response interplay of "Demo Crazy" shows he can turn up the Afrobeat heat. His band Positive Force sound better than ever before.

Femi gives this album a jazzier sound and plays trumpet rather than his usual saxophone.

The production here smoothes off some of the harder edges. Songs like "Demo Crazy" are stronger for sounding as if they were recorded live.

With his latest offering, Femi has begun to develop his own form of afrobeat, mixing light, sturdy melodies with funk and jazz,Femi has gone further in finding his own voice and breaking the stranglehold of the past.

"Do You Know", "Tesion Grip Africa", "Oyimbo", "Demo Crazy", and "Tell Me" are among the highlights."

Great Album

Mr. O. Shobowale | Dallas | 12/09/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Its hard to say this is Femi Kuti's best album since all his albums have something special to offer. This album is an affirmation of Femi's uniqueness and a testimony to his muscial versatility. My best picks are "Dem Funny', 'You better ask yourself', 'Tell Me', and 'They Will Run'. This album expresses the synergies between Jazz, Funk and Afrobeat and by extension, a collage of different musical styles. Other tracks include studio versions of previously released songs like 'Eh Oh', '1,2,3' and 'Oyinbo'.



Femi's music in continuing in his fathers tradition,speaks to the social ills in Africa. This is without doubt a very commendable work of Afrobeat and a must own Album in the music library of the jazz, funk, afrobeat aficionado."

May The Positive Force be with you Day by Day!

Julio Punch | The Netherlands | 10/23/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"After seven years there's finally a new studio album from Femi Kuti and The Positive Force. The vibrant live album Africa Shrine (2004) forms the link between the two studio albums as it contains several songs from both. Day by Day also contains several "new" songs that have been part of Femi's live repertoire for the last few years. While 2001's Fight to Win featured several celebrity's from Hip Hop and RnB, this time it's just Femi Kuti and The Positive Force.



For convenience, I'll divide the songs on Day by Day into three categories. Number one is Femi's fast paced, catchy, Motown influenced trademark Afrobeat. These include three exciting studio versions of songs like Oyimbo that were featured on Africa Shrine. At the same time there are also several new songs with very fast paced vocals from Femi and the gang like Demo Crazy.



The second category consists of songs that fall in the jazz-funk category. A good example is Do You Know in which Femi pays homage to his musical heroes (Coltrane, Ellington, his father and others). You Better ask Yourself is another good example. This album is Femi's most extensive foray into Jazz territory so far in his career. Being no Jazz expert myself, I still think he does a great job!



Now you're curious about the third category. Many may think that the term "ballad" doesn't exist in the Afrobeat vocabulary. This may or may not be the case, but Day by Day is a ballad for sure. It's a simple song as far as composition and lyrics are concerned, but at the same time it's a truly beautiful song with a truly beautiful message. It makes a great lullaby.



Day by Day was recorded in Paris in the summer of 2007. Femi is back playing trumpet, and is doing it better than ever. The forays into forms of Afro-American music in no way compromise Femi's political message. The injustice and poverty in Africa is still the driving force behind Afrobeat, just as it was in the days of his father, Fela. This is a truly superb album; every song on it is a gem. May The Positive Force be with you Day by Day!



Julio Punch (Webmaster of The Shrine: The Unofficial Website for Fela Kuti, Femi Kuti and Afrobeat Music)"