Sexual Healing: Femi Kuti

Femi Kuti

Shoki Shoki

(mca/universal)

Femi Kuti's Shoki Shoki has it all: catchy melodies, funky beat, excellent lyrics and the elusive quality of coolness.

Then again, nothing less was expected. Musical dynasties such as John and Julian Lennon are better known, but Kuti's Nigerian heritage is equally impressive: His father is Fela Anikulapo Ransome-Kuti, the founder of Afrobeat and arguably the most influential African musician of the last 30 years, not to mention a hero for the people of Nigeria, one million of whom lined the streets at his funeral.

Femi, who plays the saxophone and sings, does an amazing job of living up to the legacy of his father, to whom he dedicates Shoki Shoki. This album will be numbered among the best of Afrobeat, a style that combines the African highlife tradition, Western jazz, traditional Yoruba music and American soul into almost symphonic pieces. In more concrete terms, the songs feature at least five layers of music: a bottom layer of bass and drums, rhythm guitar and congas on top of that, then more percussion, a horn section providing riffs and finally the voice of the singer. This combination makes for music that is both incredibly intricate and sophisticated, but also driving and danceable.

The best tracks on Shoki Shoki demonstrate this style to perfection. (The only detraction from this spectacular album is that Afrobeat gets repetitive quickly if you're not into it, or at least dancing to it.) The opening of "Truth don die" (like his father, Femi sings in Pidgin English) shows the layers slowly building on top of each other, finally bursting into the full-fledged song after about a minute (In contrast to his father, some of Femi's songs are actually under six minutes.). "Beng Beng Beng" is a brilliant love song-or sex song, if such a term exists-that brings pre-lovemaking excitement to musical life. Other tracks on the CD are more political, but politics never get in the way of the music.

Most of all, Shoki Shoki-which means "stud" or "the lovemaking sound," depending on whose explanation you believe-is fresh and incredibly energetic. Since the U.S. music scene is getting increasingly stale and inbred, such an infusion of exciting new blood is quite welcome.