December 9, 2016
Soundway Records
3xLP
When North American listeners think about Nigerian music, who could blame them for thinking primarily of the afrobeat sound, the Kutis and the Allens of the scene who left a titanic legacy for Nigeria and world music. Considering that the golden age of afrobeat produced some of the greatest ever recorded music, it was a natural but unfortunate side effect that other styles, movements, and talented musicians were overlooked, never finding their way into the popular imagination of global audiences. Doing It In Lagos represents a very worthy effort to rediscover and make available a collection of songs and artists which attempted to break away from the traditional afrobeat sound and incorporate elements of American music which had exploded in the 60s and 70s. It is extremely funky, with slapping bass lines at every turn, and despite the artists being influenced by American styles, there is an originality and unique essence that separates it from other, more derivative imitations. Much of the album is composed of true pop tunes; light, free, and discharged of the political urgency that guided afrobeat, in other words, songs for a nation to dance to as it emerged into an international cultural hotbed, confident in its place and searching for a good time.