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Essentially picking up right where Fela Kuti left off, Antibalas is set to bring the world their special brand of Afrobeat. Employing an array of 15 players for their latest release on Ropeadope Records Who Is This America?, Antibalas has created a virtual masterpiece.
Each song has many textured layers with a strong percussive foundation. The use of congas, djembes and especially shakers provides a mesmerizing backbeat for the rest of the players to contribute to. The electric keyboard is great throughout, providing a tone not used very often in current music. Antibalas is essentially an orchestra and they use that to their advantage with their backup vocals and many different sounds, all coming at you at one time, in a blissful chaos.
Beginning with the title track, we are immediately thrust into the politically left leaning world of Antibalas. To me, this song is a wakeup call of everything that is wrong with America today. Punctuated by Duke Amayo's fierce vocals and catcalls of "CNN, CBS, NBC, FBI, NSA, CIA, NFL..." Antibalas is trying to say that this false media dominated world isn't the America they know and want, the America they once believed in.
Every song on this album is a sophisticated composition, very intricately detailed and with almost no improvisation to speak of. Antibalas had a clear vision with this album and succeeded in getting that vision out to the masses. Leaving all political messages aside, what you're left with is one raucous, funky album of horns, guitar, and bass, some mean keyboard and bad-ass percussion. Antibalas is here to stay and if we're lucky maybe they'll inject some good sense into the places where it's needed most.
Sam Katz
JamBase | Boston
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