A Nigerian Retrospective 1966-79

Soundway are on a roll at the moment, with new projects and compilations such as this that steadily mine the seemingly bottomless well of little known vintage sounds. This is the first proper retrospective of the multi-talented Tunji Oyelana’s work, which gives his music historical as well as musical and social context. A student of the writer Wole Soyinka, he carefully infuses Yoruban storytelling into his music, lending it gravitas and cultural weight.

As the label always keeps a careful eye on the dance floor, it’s no surprise to hear exuberant tracks such as the opener ‘Ojo’ or the agogo bell-led ‘Ipasan’. Keeping still isn’t an option when these stormers are playing. By contrast, when Oyelana and his band, The Benders, reach for the trickier fringes of melody and rhythm, the results can catch you off guard. The loping, almost menacing groove of ‘Ogun Adubi’ has a wonderfully cinematic intro followed by a dramatic call-and-response between vocals and organ, whilst the hypnotic ‘Jewele Jewele’ has a delightfully nagging riff, that trots over the groove with pluck and purpose.

Spread over two CDs, it is the first that is the more cohesive, despite the welcome addition of highlife numbers ‘Aiye Nla’ and ‘Koriko Nde’ on CD2. Overall, this release nicely highlights another key player of modern Nigerian music. Tunji Oyelana might have only been known by aficionados up until now – this release correctly redresses that balance.