African Icons of Power Vol. 1
Defeat The Enemy
Hexagon
You definitely cannot judge a CD by its cover. With Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale in full Black Panther regalia, you’d be expecting a “Power to the People”/”Black is Beautiful” disc. Well, this definitely isn’t that. Apparently, you can’t trust titles either. I was expecting some African (or her Diaspora’s) icons. You know, some Bob Marley, John Coltrane, King Sunny Adé, Black Stalin, Beny Moré. There were all kinds of options. You do get brilliant songs from Sun Ra and Fela, but that’s about it for the icons. In fact, most of the contributors aren’t even of African descent. Then we have the other subtitle: “Timeless Music Rooted in the Beat of Africa.” But Ieva’s “Unmasked” is a piano-driven piece with no beat whatsoever and Muslimgauze’s “Dogon Tabla” is, well, a tabla. I just don’t know what to trust with this damned compilation. I don’t even know if I can trust my own ears.
Hexagon Records: http://www.hexagonrecords.com
