Angelique Kidjo - Remain In Light Album Review
Whichever way you look at it, you've got to agree that to cover an album that the US Library Of Congress deems culturally and artistically significant, that some say is one of the best albums of all time and that most agree is at least one of the best of the 80s is a pretty ballsy move. The fourth album by innovative art-rock band Talking Heads, 'Remain In Light', was highly regarded at the time of its release and to this day gives rise to much critical acclaim, is regularly referenced and is seen as a pivotal influence on many acts that have been born in its wake.
When Brian Eno introduced Talking Heads to the music of Fela Kuti the band took that influence and ran with it in a new direction for them at the time. The African rhythms, electro nuances and funkier elements on the album helped establish it as a seminal game changer for the face of popular music. Nearly forty years on, Angelique Kidjo has decided it's time to re-work the entire album track by track and sympathetically reflect it back on the sounds that gave rise to its inception.
Angelique, a three time Grammy award winner herself, is not without her plaudits, the Guardian having listed her as one of the 'Top One Hundred Inspiring Women In The World' and Forbes as 'among The Top Forty Most Powerful Celebrities In Africa.' A resident of New York, but Benin born, Angelique says of the project, "I want to pay back the homage and create my own African take on Talking Heads' songs. Now is the time to bring rock back to Africa, connect our minds, and bring all our sounds to a new level of sharing and understanding."
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