FELA! Original Broadway Cast Recording (feat. Sahr Ngaujah)

Various Artists
FELA! Original Broadway Cast Recording (feat. Sahr Ngaujah)

The only thing more incredible than the fact that Fela Kuti was the subject for a 2009 Broadway musical is the fact that Fela! was also a hit Broadway musical. Amazingly recorded in just one day, Fela! (Original Broadway Cast Recording) features Antibalas Afrobeat Orchestra of New York backing the production’s lead Sahr Ngaujah, who delivers a flawless performance channeling Fela Kuti. “Everything Scatter” opens with Ngaujah narrating how Kuti created Afrobeat during an oppressive military dictatorship — the rhythms are much more hyper than the original version (and that '60s Farfisa organ is missing), but for a Broadway cast recording, it’s astonishing how closely they nailed it. Similarly, an exaggerated take on Kuti’s “Expensive S**t” contrasts an inspired, uplifting and infectious groove with a gripping narrative about when Kuti’s house was raided by the government. Another exceptional standout, “Zombie” steadily builds an increasingly hypnotic groove to lyrics that deliver a scathing comparison of the Nigerian military’s blind and zombie-like obedience.

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