Seun Kuti & Egypt 80

From Africa with Fury: Rise Because Music ****

Youngest son of the legendary Fela, Seun Kuti has inherited his father’s Afro-Beat mantle, along with his monumental backing band Egypt 80. His second album contains the same “endless” grooves and polemical style that gave the original Afro-Beat its energy, but what’s different is the sensibility. Where Fela made records that often lasted several days, Seun (pronounced Shay-Oon) gets to the point quicker. Longtime Afro-Beat fan Brian Eno and Irish producer John Reynolds are at the controls, and they have distilled Fela’s sound into concentrated form without sacrificing any of its power. The tighter arrangements, meticulous attention to detail and sharper pop sensibility have resulted in an album with all the hypnotic intensity of Kuti the elder, but in a form that might get his heir some radio play. See myspace.com/ seunkuti

Download tracks: African Soldier, Rise