Track Listing

1. Beaten Metal
2. Filibuster X
3. Sanctuary
4. Hilo
5. War Hero
6. I.C.E.
7. Age

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #15490 in Music
• Brand: Dig
• Released on: 2007-03-06
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .15 pounds

Album Description
With Security, their ANTI- debut, Brooklyn's Antibalas are ready to connect with a mass audience hungry for loosebooty grooves, intelligent sounds, and committed lyrics - the same audience that made instant classics of genre-breakers like Talking Heads' Remain In Light. Bringing John McEntire of Tortoise into the studio - this is the band's first release with an outside producer - has upped the harmonic density in Antibalas' sound, creating a rich tapestry of harmelodic color that owes as much to jazz masters like Mingus and Coltrane and maverick bands like Can as it does to Fela Kuti. Antibalas have broadened their appeal to the point where they can collaborate with TV On the Radio one day, groove a sweaty Brooklyn club the next, and then turn around and rock massive crowds at festivals like Coachella and Bonaroo. Building from the revolutionary blueprint of afrobeat, the dozen-strong members of Brooklyn's Antibalas weave latin, jazz, funk and horn-laden soul into a blend that is both polyrhythmic and political, independent and infectious.

Amazon.com
A ricochet of crossed-horn riffs open Antibalas's third album, Security, and what's immediately marvelous is the production, the lack of polish and purity in the tones. There's a ratty edge on Jordan McLean and Eric Biondo's trumpets, and Aaron Johnson's trombone only fattens the frays. The album's produced, engineered, and mixed by John McEntire, who made his name playing cold-blooded percussion in Tortoise, and he brings this Brooklyn-born twelvetet to the Lagos of Fela Kuti by lessening the sonic distinction between Chris Vatalaro's bass drum, his snare, and his tom-toms. The rhythm's a viscous fluid, stirred by vintage, lo-fi keyboards, slinking guitar riffs, and Stuart Bogie's tenor sax, which bears more than a hint of the roughened "Texas tenor" sound of 60s' hard bop. Antibalas is decidedly like Fela in that theirs is agit-Afro Beat, musically stirring in its core groupthink elements (rather than in flashes of solo genius). Tune into "Filibuster X," an excoriating call-and-response send-up of Republican presidential politics, and you'll hear the echoes of Fela's telltale vocal constructions, the clatter of politicized funk at its best. --Andrew Bartlett

Customer Reviews

Inching out of Fela's Shadow
As one of the best Fela tribute bands around, Antibals makes one wonder why to pick up their records, when the Man's work is still widley available. With SECURITY, the band beings to move out from under Fela's shadow and find a true voice of their own. Produced by Tortoise's John McEntire, the group begins to stray from mimicry of the 70's Afro-Beat master and explore their own sound to great effect. While the longer tracks like FILLIBUSTER X and SANTUARY still hue tightly to the Fela sound (especially vocally) shorter tracks like the opening BEATEN METAL, I.C.E. and the closing AGE strive for more expansive sounds closer to jazz. No doubt all of these tracks cook in front of an audience, but they still need to take that one last leap to find their own personality and become a special band.

Great retro grooves and attitude
A very funky, hip album with an authentic retro groove and attitude, feels like it came out in the 70's. However, while retaining authenticity, the band made many improvements over the original Afrobeat sound, and I know I am committing a sacrilege by saying this, but I'll say it anyway. I am not a fan of Fela Kuti's vocal mannerisms, which get on my nerves, and I always thought that the strength of Afrobeat is in the instrumental music - the interplay between the horns, rhythm guitar and layers of percussion. Most of the album is instrumental, and both the playing and singing are much better than on the Kuti records, in my opinion. While the soloists (organ, sax, trombone, trumpet) clearly have the chops of jazz players, they don't dive fully into jazz, but remain just on that narrow edge between jazz and pop, much in the same way as Santana toyed with fusion without jumping fully into it. They are not shy about their polical views either - you get a pretty clear clear picture whom they will NOT vote for in the next presidential election. This is a band who knows how to take the best from Afrobeat, mix it up with Latin music, reggae and funk, throw in a pinch of jazz and rock, and come up with a hot, spicy, organic and totally enjoyable sound that makes you want to tap your feet and nod your head... if not to get up and shake your booty.

The Real Deal!
Antibalas delivers a combination of styles on an uplifting musical approach. Intelligent Lyrics with different musical influences I give them a 5 for a 4 would be too low. Some of the songs go on and on but are quite enjoyable. Does not disappoint, that's for sure. Glad to have found them. 4.5 or 5 Stars but certainly not 4!