Lagos Pepper Soup

Nigerian bassist and composer Michael Olatuja has spent most of his life in three cities: first Lagos, then London, and now New York City. His second album features the sound of ‘cinematic Afrobeat,’ as he describes its stylistic bent. A core jazz combo is surrounded by massed strings that aim to sound like they were recorded in 1970s Los Angeles, loaded with sugary drama. Olatuja gives most of his compositions a deliberately retro feel, sometimes ending up with bland pop rather than sleek kitsch. Even though the governing vibe might be slick and smooth, many of the solos manage to be uncompromising in their expressive dexterity.

Olatuja invites an impressive gathering of guests, including key jazzers Joe Lovano (reeds), Regina Carter (violin) and Grégoire Maret (harmonica). Singers step forward on around half of the tracks, with the stand-out numbers being the title-cut and ‘Brighter Day’. On the first, Angélique Kidjo delivers a spirited performance, building towards a call-and-response climax, with guitarist Lionel Loueke adopting a more stinging approach than usual. The second has a tougher arrangement, with an impressively original treatment in phrasing and vocal style by Laura Mvula. There are also more subtle hints of Afrobeat, especially in the percussion of Magatte Sow. Sadly, this is followed by the album’s worst track, ‘Shadows Fade’, a gospel pop number sung by Onaje Jefferson. Olatuja rations out his own bass solos, but he makes some fleet-fingered capsule statements. This is a disc of variable pleasures, veering from pomp tackiness to well-judged complexity.