Fela Kuti - Roforofo Fight (1972)

It's true that Fela's early-'70s records tend to blur together with their similar groupings of four lengthy Afro-funk-jazz cuts. In their defense, it must be said that while few artists can pull off similar approaches time after time and continue to make it sound fresh, Fela is one of them. Each of the four songs on the 1972 album Roforofo Fight clocks in at 12 to 17 minutes, and there's a slight slide toward more 1970s-sounding rhythms in the happy-feet beats of the title track and the varied yet rock-solid drums in "Go Slow." There's just a hint of reggae in "Trouble Sleep Yanga Wake Am," in the pace, vocal delivery, ethereal keyboards, and lilting yet dramatic minor melodic lines. The James Brown influence is strongly heard in the lean, nervous guitar strums of "Question Jam Answer," and the horns cook in a way that they might have had Brown been more inclined to let his bands go into improvisational jams. The 2001 MCA CD reissue of the album, retitled Roforofo Fight/The Fela Singles, adds two previously unreleased bonus tracks from the same era, "Shenshema" and "Ariya." AMG - by by Richie Unterberger

Tracks

1. Roforofo Fight
2. Go Slow
3. Question Jam Answser
4. Trouble Sleep Yanga Wake Am

Curtis Mayfield - Curtis Live! (1971)

It's a sign of just how high a peak of musical and commercial success Curtis Mayfield had ascended that he could release two live albums within two years of each other, with two completely different sounds and repertories, and get well-deserved top sellers out of both. Curtis/Live! is, simply, one of the greatest concert albums ever cut on a soul artist, and one of the legendary live albums of all time. Cut in January of 1971 during four nights at the Bitter End (then Greenwich Village's leading music venue) in New York, the resulting double LP transcended any expectations in both its programming and execution -- Mayfield performed numbers off of the Curtis album ("Don't Worry If There's a Hell Below We're All Going to Go"), as well as exciting and urgent new versions of songs originally performed by the Impressions ("We're a Winner," "People Get Ready," "Gypsy Woman"), plus a very moving R&B version of "We've Only Just Begun." This is all beautifully stripped-down work by a quintet consisting of Mayfield (vocals, guitar), Craig McMullen (guitar), Tyrone McCullen (drums), "Master" Henry Gibson (percussion), and Joseph "Lucky" Scott (bass) -- a solid, intense performance, with quietly elegant guitar playing against a rock-solid rhythm section, as Impressions hits are rethought and reconfigured in a new context, and Mayfield's early solo repertory comes to life in newer, longer live versions. The second disc, Curtis In Chicago, consists of a different kind of show, a dream concert celebrating Mayfield's musical history and Curtom Records for which one is grateful the audio-tape machines were running properly (there was a public-television broadcast of the show, under the same name, that would be a choice video release today). Mayfield, the current Impressions, the original Impressions (including Jerry Butler), the successful mid-'60s version of the group; Gene Chandler (reworking "Duke of Earl"); and Leroy Hutson get to do their best songs, this time in a kind of big-band soul setting backed by the Curtom Rhythm Section augmented by the presence of Phil Upchurch. The sound is excellent on both discs, and the annotation is very thorough on this reissue. The British import from Sequel is currently the only way to get either of these albums on CD, and is a bargain. AMG - by Bruce Eder

Tracks

1. Mighty Mighty
2. I Plan to Stay a Believer
3. We're a Winner
4. Rap
5. We've Only Just Begun
6. People Get Ready
7. Rap
8. Stare and Stare
9. Check Out Your Mind
10. Gypsy Woman
11. The Makings of You
12. Rap
13. We the People Who Are Darker Than Blue
14. (Don't Worry) If There's a Hell Below, We're All Going to Go
15. Stone Junkie
16. Superfly
17. Mighty Mighty

Chukki Starr - Ghetto Youths Livity (1998)

Nice modern roots reggae from a talented young singer who is flourishing under the guidance of Mad Professor, who produced this debut album. Chukki Starr works primarily in a declamatory sing-jay style that is most effective on "The Almighty One" and "Ghetto Youth's Livity," though he also moves easily into more straight-ahead toasting on tracks like "Want to Be Free" and "Words of Malachi." Fine as the singing is, though, the success of this album is due in large part to the rock-solid support provided by the Robotiks band and Mad Professor's bass-heavy but sensitive production. Mafia and Fluxy provide backup on two tracks, and there is an excellent hip-hop remix of "The Almighty One," not to mention several good dub versions. AMG - by Rick Anderson


Tracks

1. The Almighty One

2. Ghetto Youth's Levity

3. Woman Fe Positive

4. Radio Interview

5. Want To Be Free

6. One Day (My Time Shall Come)

7. Mama Song

8. Malachi's Speech

9. Words Of Malachi

10. In Too Deep

11. The Almighty One

12. Positive Dub

13. Stonebridge Dub

14. Ghetto Rock Dub

Sweet Smoke - From Darkness To Light (1973)

The underrated "Darkness To Light" is SWEET SMOKE's last studio album. This one has some shorter tracks but I think it's closer to progressive rock genre than their first. The music is more diverse, complex and thoughtfully composed. However, in some parts it still ratains the jazz-rock elements from their first album. Their typical sudden changes in mood and rhythm are also presented. I welcome the addition of piano and string instruments. I also like the singing and occasional beatlesque choir parts. The hippie imagery in the music and on the coverart is even more prominent than before. This is also notable in the epic track "Kundalini" which begins in Indo-fusion style: a crowd singing a mantra (a few people are out of tune but I think it was intentional), ethnic percussion, instrumental improvisations, scat singing... It's slowly proceeding in more "conventional" jazz-ock. The ending is a crazy jazz counterpoint between guitar, piano, sax, bas and drums. Trully stunning! "Show Me the War" is thoughtfully arranged and spiced with some dissonance. The title track has some awesome trippy and jazzy things going on. In the end they freak out... Other tracks are nice and simple songs with folky flute and a few intelligent twists. I'm not a "flower power" follower but there is something magical about this album that makes it one of my favorites. PROG ARCHIVES - by Matej Luketic

Tracks

1. Just An Empty Dream
2. I'd Rather Burn Than Disappear
3. Kundalini
4. Believe Me My Friends
5. Show Me The Way To The War
6. Darkness To Light