The Lijadu Sisters

Afro-Beat Soul SistersSoul Jazz ****

There was no holding back the Lijadus when they hit the Afrodisia studio in downtown Lagos. Identical twins Taiwo and Kehinde Lijadu were musical magpies whose musical vision had room in the grooves for disco, reggae and soul. There were even traces of rock and pop, which might have been acquired in the early 1970s, when they were part of Cream man Ginger Baker’s band. Those grooves always packed a punch.

Opening track Danger(1976) has the funk in abundance, a driving, magnetic track that captures the edge around their homeland at that time. What's obvious from this collection (from four albums recorded from 1976 to 1979) is that the sisters, who later moved to New York and retired from the business, had a throughline when it came to tracks that were not only deeply personal love songs but also fiery anthems brimming with social commentary.

See souljazz records.co.uk

Download tracks: Danger, Sunshine, Gbalo Alogbalo