★★★★★
Back in the early 1980s, Island Records were searching for an African star who could perhaps match the success of reggae hero Bob Marley, who tragically died in 1981. The obvious contender was Nigeria's firebrand genius Fela Kuti, so the label contacted Fela's French producer Martin Meissonnier to ask for his advice. Fela was not available, already signed to Arista, who were then having some trouble promoting his lengthy and highly political songs to Western audiences...
- www.bbc.co.uk
2010-09-30
★★★★★
The Message, the unavailable-in-the-U.S. Nigerian LP that precedes this made-for-export overview conceptually, actually comes closer to pop--it's brighter, edgier, more tuneful. The music here is all flowing undulation; even the experimental synthesizer interjections, while recalling the startling syn-drums of great disco, seem somehow rubberized, springing suddenly outward and then receding back into the slipstream...
- www.robertchristgau.com
2009-07-10
★★★★★
Top-billed keyboard player Martin Meissonnier has definite ideas about how to produce his client for the non-African market. By emphasizing discrete melodies and heating up the mix, he variegates Adé's flow, which is how art works in the U.S.A. Since the impact of overviews like Juju Music is unrepeatable, the switch came none too soon. This more conventionally unified album may not seem quite as arresting as the debut, but that's mainly because it arrived second...
- www.robertchristgau.com
2009-07-10
★★★★★
Three albums into this world-class popmeister's American career, his U.S. debut begins to seem like the compromise purists claimed it was--not because it's too American, but because it's not American enough. Now when I want something subtly polypercussive I'll choose one of his Nigerian LPs rather than Juju Music. And when I want a heavier, hookier groove I'll pull out Synchro System--or more likely, this one...
- www.robertchristgau.com
2009-07-10
★★★★★
Since his import-if-you-can-find-it The Message is still my favorite Adé, not to mention my first, I thought it wise to check out the five LPs Adé released in Nigeria between Mango albums. They sounded pretty good, but since "universal language" is as parochial a concept as any other one-world idealism, I wasn't too surprised to discover limits to my appetite for a conservative, consciously recycled music I half understand...
- www.robertchristgau.com
2009-07-10
★★★★★
Like so many live albums, it promises the real deal and then reduces an event that once engaged five or more senses to an aural abstraction. Worse, the percussive bias of both recording method and performance concept undercuts the momentum of the ensemble groove. Ruined by the Fallacy of the Drum Solo, in quadruplicate.
- www.robertchristgau.com
2009-07-10
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