Fela! (Original Broadway Cast Recording)

iTunes Review

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.