Description
Family Affair is the second chapter of New African Orleans, from composer, bassist and singer Alune Wade, its title a nod to the family of musicians gathered along the way, in Ghana and Louisiana, Benin and French Guiana. Recorded at Studio Soult near Paris, plus sessions in New Orleans (vocals, brass) and Lagos (talking drums), the album was again mixed by three-time Grammy winner Nic Hard (Snarky Puppy). Built mostly on original compositions, with lyrics in Wolof (Niger - Congo language), it favours steadier tempos and gives particular attention to the voices while leaving plenty of room for its many guests.
Born in Dakar in 1978, Alune Wade began his career at 18 as Ismael Lo's bassist, the first of many prestigious collaborations that include Salif Keita, Oumou Sangare, Fatoumata Diawara, Toure Kunda, Gregory Porter, Bobby McFerrin, St Germain, and Deep Forest. Recruited by Joe Zawinul and hand-picked by his idol Marcus Miller to play on Afrodeezia (2015), he has also built an acclaimed discography under his own name over two decades.
The song 'Damonzon' revisits a traditional melody honouring the king of Segou, carried by Mamani Keita's Malian blues, and the spoken word of New Orleans poet Sunni Patterson, with nods to Miles Davis's 'All Blues' and Blaxploitation funk. The afro-funk 'Black Booty' is driven by slap bass and highlife talking drum; Ghanaian singer-guitarist Kyekyeku joins 'Asase Yaa', named after the Akan goddess of fertility and love; and Hindi Zahra duets on the single 'No One Like You', a mid-tempo song about loyalty that recalls Peter Gabriel's 'So'. Miles Davis's 'Jean-Pierre' surfaces on the hip-hop-tight 'Escalade', opened by the voice of Fela Kuti, and Cuban pianist Harold Lopez-Nussa joins the closing Creolez-moi ca!'.
