March 2013

This review by Rachel Devitt originally appeared on Rhapsody.com.

You know how Afrobeat bands always end up sounding like Fela imitators? Chicago Afrobeat Project have a different approach: They capture the soul of Afrobeat, which they carry over into their own unique, updated sound. So Nyash UP! is thick with politics and passion, and nearly boiling over with simmering funk. But while fat, familiar low brass darts in and out, that’s filtered through jazz, avant-R&B, lounge and hip-hop. At points, the rich tapestry gets a little convoluted (see political/musical grab bag “Inner City Blues”). But for the most part, this is an album that does Fela proud.

This article appeared in Time Out: Fela Kuti envisioned Afrobeat as an almost revolutionary force, and while it never quite achieved that ambitious goal, years after Fela’s death the music he pioneered remains as vibrant and exciting as ever, as channeled by bands such as the Chicago Afrobeat Project, which recently celebrated its tenth anniversary and plays behind a fantastic new record, Nyash Up. We suspect that in some quarters blues veteran Sugar Blue is still touted as the Guy Who Played Harmonica on “Miss You” by the Rolling Stones, but in blues circles he’s known as the man who took Little Walter’s innovations on that same instrument clear into the stratosphere.

9pm, Double Door, $10–$12