Femi Kuti continues to emerge from the shadow of his icon father--Fela--and to establish himself as a powerful creative force on his own. On his third international release, Femi embraces hip-hop, techno and soul, reworks Fela's conventions, assails failed African leaders, warns about AIDS, honors his family, and in all, delivers a passionate, heady blend of anger and optimism with one hell of a beat.

Taking the music first, Femi's band Positive Force sounds better than ever here, pounding out rich, beefy afrobeat grooves. The horn arrangements are thick and satisfying, the grooves taut and heavy without being cluttered. We get many variations of afrobeat's familiar funkiness, including "Alkebu Lan," which hews close to the old Fela formula--instrumental opening, call-and-response vocals with the chorus, and a chant feeling that builds and builds--but pares it down and punches it up so as to honor the father without ripping him off. There are some departures too, notably the highlife tinged "Stop Aids," which takes on the flavor of a Latin kicker during a wild flute break--in all a merry delivery of a critical, street-level message, namely: "You better cover your bamboo." Even when he includes samples, rappers, and elements of techno, Femi never discards afrobeat. Rather, he expands it.

Messages come fast and furious here. Femi is plainly steamed at the failures of African political leaders, and he's not shy about saying so. "Traitors of Africa," is typical. This 1992 song grew out of the corrupt administration of General Ibrahim Babangida, and says it plainly: "They must be known by name as the Traitors of Africa!" Even now, there are few African singers who are willing to say this outright. Femi starts out in a friendlier mode with a catchy number called "Do Your Best." Warming us for angrier material to come, Femi seems to say to African leaders, "I know your job is hard, but you can do better."

There's some great female energy here too, as on the soul-flavored title track, featuring Jaguar Wright. Wright's tough attitude, backed by luscious female harmonies in the mode of contemporary R&B, is most effective within the milieu of afrobeat, a genre with decidedly macho overtones.

Fela spoke to Nigeria, and then to Africa, although he was pleased to have the world listen. Femi also remains loyal to his local perspective, but by embracing contemporary musical idioms and gearing his message to an international audience, he has the potential to reach many more ears than his father did. Tough medicine never went down more smoothly!

Contributed by: Banning Eyre