ALBUM REVIEW: Femi Kuti and Made Kuti – Legacy +

Partisan Records

Released: 05.02.21

This is something really rather touching – a father and son passion project in which Femi and Made present a slice of positive, galvanising Afrobeat. It goes without saying that Femi is an old hand at producing kinetic, politicised pop music. His half of the record, Stop The Hate, showcases energetic performances, trademark lilting guitars splattering the record like paint on a Pollock canvas, and he’s as explicit in his message as ever.

Arguably it’s Made’s more subtle, modern and expansive take that proves the most exciting; his laconic, vulnerable vocals a really human point of contact throughout. Highlights Different Streets and Higher You’ll Find wade into the jazzier waters of his sound. Playing the two albums back to back is to discover a varied, joyous and salubrious body of work.