Sunken Treasure: The Lijadu Sisters’ album Homeward Bound

The Lijadu Sisters, Taiwo and Kehinde, are identical twins from the northern Nigerian city of Jos. Born in 1958, they moved to Lagos aged two. There they grew up surrounded by sounds that their music- loving mother fed them.

They were raised on a diet of traditional Yoruba rhythms flavoured with the latest soul sounds from the US.This melting pot contained a particularly potent brew. The music they went on to make was a highly personalised hybrid of the traditional strands and the modern.

As second cousins of their country’s greatest star, they had a bird’s-eye view of Fela Kuti’s ascendancy throughout the 1960s. The Lijadu Sisters started out working as session musicians but the fire in their bellies was fuelled by a determination to step out of the shadows and edge closer the spotlight.

A key development came with their encounter with producer and multi-instrumentalist Julius Adeniyi ‘Biddy’ Wright. He shared their feeling for the raw western funk that was sweeping the city, as well as being well versed in the same Yoruban musical culture that informed the sisters’ feeling for rhythm and dance.

They recorded their first record together, Danger, in 1976. It was the beginning of a fruitful relationship that yielded three more albums. Wright played most of the instruments assisted by traditional drummers and percussionists. He was adept at accentuating the uniquely beautiful vocal harmonies that was the sisters' trademark. The way they glide around the melodies in unison is a thing of beauty and Wright's languid and uncluttered production afford them plenty room to take flight.

Homeward Bound is the last of their collaborations and a definite creative peak. It's a more percussive affair, informed by echoes of disco beats that were reverberating from basements far across the Gulf of Guinea. The spring in the Lijadu Sisters step as they effortlessly traverse this new terrain is a joy to behold.