Track Listing

1. Ja Funmi
2. Eje Nlo Gba Ara Mi
3. Mo Beru Agba
4. Sunny Ti De Ariya
5. Ma Jaiye Oni
6. 365 Is My Number/The Message
7. Samba/E Falaba Lewe

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #52842 in Music
• Released on: 2000-09-07
• Number of discs: 1
• Format: Import
• Dimensions: .20 pounds

From Amazon.com
Quite possibly the most beautiful and influential West African record ever released internationally, Juju Music remains a revelation. With a phalanx of electric guitars that functions like a percussion section, and talking drums that sound like a gossipy Greek chorus, Nigerian juju star King Sunny Ade and His African Beats, all 20 of them, proved that African music could be as complex, dramatic, and symphonic as any European ensemble. Some thanks must go to French producer Martin Meissonier, who took the basic elements of Ade's sound--unison guitars, Yoruban drumming, seamless song medleys, and self-reflexive lyrics--and added a diverse assortment of Jamaican production techniques to heighten, deepen, and psychedelicize a sound that, with Ade's deliciously sweet vocals and the haunting strains of Demala Adepoju's Hawaiian steel guitar, was plenty wild to begin with. A masterpiece. --Richard Gehr

CD Description
Said by many to be the album that introduced America to "world music", JUJU MUSIC is a brilliant piece of Nigerian pop.The pulsing rootedness of traditional West African percussion and bells meets the tech-psychedelia of electric instruments in a cross-pollination that continues to influence Afro-pop and the worlds beyond. Late-'70s synthesisers spin trippy swirls of outer-space strangeness around blissful slide guitar lines and frenetic conversations between three talking drums as Ade and his army of vocalists warble their happy way through each verse. Call-and-response, one of the true cornerstones of African music, is present in every nook and cranny of the production--one can pick out a distinct dialogue between almost any two instruments at any given moment. Its combination of space-melodies with a heavy rhythmic base makes JUJU MUSIC a Pink Floyd record for dancers.

Customer Reviews

Regal Juju
Sunny Adé is the legenday King of Juju, a tough dance music that freely draws on the traditions of the Yoruba, Nigeria's largest tribe. The style is rooted in the complex call-and-response between the talking drums and the vocalists. Instruments on this album include electric, rhythm and Hawaian steel guitars, bass drums, congas, bongos, shekere, maracas, keyboards and the famous talking drums. The imaginative production also includes reggae-style Dub effects. My favourite tracks include the catchy Ja Funmi, the polyrhythmic Sunny Ti De Ariya with its brilliant effects, the melodic and soulful Ma Jaiye Oni with its spectacular steel guitar, and Samba/E Falabe Lewe where the steel guitar again comes to the fore. The most interesting thing about Juju is that it lends more importance to the drum and guitar than to the vocals while the melody develops in episodes, as opposed to the familiar verse-chorus format. Although the music is somewhat exotic, this album is accessible enough for the adventurous listener and will soon become a favourite if you give it a chance.