Tony Allen - Lagos No Shaking

lamely recontextualising all the pre-cursory afro-beat elements that went on to inform hip-hop and funk

Album Review by Ali Maloney | 17 Mar 2006
Album title: Lagos No Shaking
Artist: Tony Allen
Call me technophobic, but I tend to avoid music CDs that want to install software on my computer. I'm sure Fela Kuti was far more concerned with making people pay to hear his music than he was with avoiding imprisonment, his harem and reaching out to a higher consciousness. Record companies might kill music yet. Tony Allen, the powerhouse stomp behind Fela's fire, assembles all the ingredients for a classic afrobeat swing-fest. So the fact that this album falls flat is so surprising, lamely recontextualising all the pre-cursory afro-beat elements that went on to inform hip-hop and funk.
It's competent enough, but just lacks the passion to be anything more than a pale shadow of Africa 70. [Ali Maloney]
Lagos No Shaking' is released on Feb 20. http://www.cargo-london.com