Kuku -- Yoruba Roots Soul Music

        It is such a rare pleasure to come across something that sounds completely unique. Recently
I was contacted by a member of the original band of South Africa's late reggae star Lucky Dube, with
whom I had the pleasure of working over a couple of decades. He sent me new music by a Nigerian
artist called Kuku who has been residing in the Washington DC  area for a number of years. The music
was  Kuku's new unreleased album "Soldier Of Peace." 

       As I played "Soldier Of Peace" the first thing that struck me was Kuku's sonorous voice...an
immensely appealing, mellow, resonant, burr-y tenor. The overall sound of his music is intimate and acoustic-- acoustic guitars, hand percussion of various types, a little electric guitar and bass, and warm harmony vocals. The overall effect is that of a contemporary African singer-songwriter, an artist rooted in tradition but thoroughly contemporary, like such artists as Rokia Traore of Mali, Vusi Mahlasela of South Africa, and Richard Bona of Cameroun. These are all sophisticated artists, conversant not only with  the musical traditions of their culture and other African cultures but also of popular music from around the world.

      Kuku sings in both English and Yoruba...especially appealing are the distinctive harmonies
common to such West African countries as Nigeria, Ghana and Sierra Leone. His songs  deal with both
romantic themes ("Yoruba Girl", "Dark And Lovely") and philosphical and spiritual themes ("Spiritual",
"Dreams Keep My Frown Away", "Too Much Pride Is  A Sin". The music embraces you, carresses you and
has the sustaining quality of a good but simple meal.

      Kuku's story is interesting. Born into a royal lineage of the Ijebu kingdom in Ogun state in Western Nigeria, he was nonethless actually born in the United States. At the age of two he moved to Lagos, where he spent his formative years in the late Seventies and Eighties. i 1993 he returned to the U.S.
to go to college and even served in the U.S. Army as a way of getting tuition support.  Though steeped in music of all types from an early age, it wasn't until 2002 that he bought a guitar and began performing and writing songs. He contributed a song "Ballou" to the documentary of the same name, a film about a Washington, DC area high school.  In 2006 he recorded his first album, "Unexpected Pleasure" and in 2007 he recorded his second album, "Absence Of Cool."  Both of these appear to be available through www.cdbaby.com, though I have not yet heard them.  Interestingly, he has recorded
a duet with Vusi Mahlasela for Mahlasela's upcoming album of duets, many with noted artists.  "Soldier Of Peace" was recording in Kuku's home studio, with Kuku himself playing all instruments and singing
many of the background vocals (it sounds like has additional singers on backgrounds on many tracks).
At the very least it is extremely pleasurable to listen to but I think it is at times inspirational and
at times verges on the sublime. Certainly a welcome discovery!

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