The companion set to the amazing Nigeria 70, The Definitive Story Of 1970´s Funky Lagos (see post below) has finally arrived at the For The Sake Of The Song headquarters. And man, it´s another goodie. Nigeria 70 - Lagos Jump, subtitled Original Heavyweight Afrobeat Highlife & Afro-Funk, is no match for the former, but there´s still plenty of funky stuff to enjoy here.
By way of an illustration, let´s hear it for two cool tracks from the album. Eric (Showboy) Akaeze was a singer, dancer, multi-instrumentalist and renowned Nigerian hitmaker. His ten-piece band The Royal Enricos (great name!) have these trancy highlife rhythms down pat. The lyrics show that life wasn´t always easy during the transition from colonial rule to independence: "If you leave your house, you gwan be dead...”
Eric (Showboy) Akaeze & His Royal Enricos - Wetin De Watch Goat, Goat Dey Watcham MP3
Meanwhile, Sir Shina Peters nicks the intro of Bob Marley´s I Shot The Sheriff and gets away with it gloriously. Fun song. That repetitive guitar line works wonders, while Shina´s lyrics laugh at wannabe Westerners in his country. "My mother be like European..."
Sir Shina Peters & His International Stars - Yabis MP3
