Find Your Flame

When artists pile on the special guests, sometimes you wish they wouldn’t. However, this nine-piece powerhouse from Leeds have managed to retain on their fourth album the clarity and coherence of 2019’s defining Jungle Run. For all the valid contributions of established stars like Seun Kuti, Nile Rodgers and, arguably most successfully, Mamani Keïta, along with emerging talents like MC NEONE the Wonderer and vocalists Ria Moran, corto.alto and long-time Ghanaian collaborator K.O.G., the core outfit stay true to a signature sound pitched somewhere between acid jazz and the neo-soul of Erykah Badu and co. Nubiyan Twist have supported Ebo Taylor and Tony Allen, so the highlife and soukous of ‘Pray For Me Part 2 (feat K.O.G.)’, the Malian sheen of ‘Slow Breath (feat Mamani Keïta)’ and the Afrobeat of ‘Carry Me (feat Seun Kuti) are no mere affectations.

Referring to various struggles in recent years, bandleader and producer Tom Excell suggests that “the collaborative process helped reignite a liberating fire of resistance in each of us.” No doubt. Ultimately, though, it’s Find Your Flame’s basic ingredients – the smooth grooves, jazzy horns, strong melodies and sheer collective class – that confirm why Nubiyan Twist never actually lost that titular flame.