Mother Nature

by Angelique Kidjo

Overview

Beninese singer, songwriter, and activist Angelique Kidjo has always showcased the indelible influence of the African continent's varied musical traditions on global popular music. Recent examples include her 2018 track-for-track remake of the Talking Heads' Remain in Light, and 2019's Celia, her tribute to salsa goddess Celia Cruz, who spent her career celebrating the primacy of African sources in Cuban music. Mother Nature goes further than either of those records. Kidjo's first album of original music in years, it was created with a host of -- mostly -- younger collaborators from several countries. Opener "Choose Love" was co-written by Zimbabwean-American songwriter Shungudzo Kuyimba and Nigerian-born songwriter/music executive Adeniyi "Synematik" Adelekan. A rousing chant sung in rounds, it features Benin countryman Lionel Loueke's guitar as the only instrumental accompaniment; Kidjo and Kuyimba meld their euphoric voices in the chorus. The original "Dignity" is a massively funky duet with Nigerian Afro-pop singer and co-composer Yemi Alade. It's an anthem of resistance inspired by the Nigerian youth movement's attempt to disband the country's notoriously corrupt Special Anti-Robbery Squad. The inspiring "Africa, One of a Kind" features Nigerian singer/songwriter and producer Mr Eazi. Amid the bumping, bouncing, string-heavy mix fueled by the Malian guitar/bass trio of Joshua Moszi, Djessou Mory Kante, and Ijomone Emmanuel is a familiar voice lifting up the other singers: Salif Keita's classic "Africa" is amply sampled here as the tune's core. Other highlights include the title track, co-written by Kidjo, her husband, keyboardist and producer Jean Hebrail, and British songwriter Jenn Decilveo, and performed with Kidjo's road band. Its meld of reggae, highlife, and Afrobeat offers both an homage to the planet and a warning to those who would refuse to honor and protect her. Other highlights include the bumping groover "Do Yourself" with Nigerian singer/songwriter/rapper (and Grammy winner) Burna Boy. Co-produced by Chisom Ezeh and Rexxie, it's a joyous number built for the dancefloor, offering intricate vocal lines and soaring choruses atop layers of percussion, guitars, keyboards, and abundantly layered loops. Kidjo and Kuyimba re-team on "Meant for Me," an infectiously danceable testament to acceptance with Synematik handling the instrumentation and samples. Kidjo joins Zambian singer/songwriter Sampa the Great on the breezy, skittering, poignant empowerment manifesto "Free & Equal," and on "Take It or Leave It" she teams with Atlanta hip-hop duo EarthGang, with Kuyimba on backing vocals and production by the Roots' James Poyser. Brit jazz-hop duo Blue Lab Beats and Ghetto Boy assist on the simmering club banger "Fired Up," slamming hip-hop and West African rhythms under guitarist Dominic James, who crisscrosses through juju and highlife with Malian blues runs and spidery funk. Kidjo delves into dramatic pop chanson on "Mycelium" with French singer and guitarist -M- (Mathieu Chedid), a frequent collaborator of Malian pop singing duo Amadou & Mariam. On Mother Nature, Kidjo delivers not only an infectious, danceable transcontinental showcase for the African continent's musical influence on global traditions, but emphatically proclaims it a primary engine in pop's future. ~ Thom Jurek

Product Details

Release Date:	06/18/2021
Label:	Decca / Universal / Verve
UPC:	0602435821634
Rank:	95534

Tracks

1. Choose Love
2. Dignity
3. Africa, One of a Kind
4. Mother Nature
5. Do Yourself
6. Meant for Me
7. Omon Oba
8. Free & Equal
9. Fired Up
10. Take It or Leave It
11. Mycelium
12. One Africa (Ind¿¿pendance Cha-Cha)
13. Flying High

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Angelique Kidjo   Primary Artist,Vocals,Vocals (Background)
Zeynab   Primary Artist,Vocals,Featured Artist
Yemi Alade   Primary Artist,Vocals,Featured Artist
Mr. Eazi   Primary Artist,Vocals,Featured Artist
Ghetto Boy   Primary Artist,Vocals,Featured Artist
Burna Boy   Primary Artist,Vocals,Featured Artist
Salif Keita   Primary Artist,Vocals,Featured Artist
Sampa the Great   Primary Artist,Vocals,Featured Artist
Blue Lab Beats   Primary Artist,Featured Artist
Shungudzo   Primary Artist,Vocals,Featured Artist,Vocals (Background)
Lionel Loueke   Primary Artist,Guitar,Featured Artist
-M-   Primary Artist,Featured Artist,Guitar,Vocals
EarthGang   Primary Artist,Vocals,Featured Artist
Jean Hebrail   Keyboards
Ijomone Emmanuel   Guitar (Bass)
Joshua Moszi   Guitar
Aicha Marikio   Vocals (Background)
Julien Raffin   Saxophone
Degbogbahoun Kamarou   Percussion
Djidonou Robert   Percussion
Thierry Jasmin Banare   Bass,Guitar (Bass)
Tio Nason   Vocals (Background)
Mr DM   Bass,Guitar,Keyboards,Synthesizer,Guitar (Bass)
Adam Kouyate   Vocals (Background)
Antoine Degremont   Horn
Brad Thomas Ackley   Guitar,Percussion,Synthesizer
Fatim Kouyate   Vocals (Background)
Synematik   Guitar,Keyboards
Nk-Ok   Drums
Cynthia Perrin   Strings
Sampa Tembo   Vocals
Shungudzo Kuyimba   Vocals (Background)
Olu Fann   Vocals
Kel P   Keyboards
Kante Djessou   Guitar
Joao Mota   Guitar
James Poyser   Keyboards
Thierry Vaton   Fender Rhodes
David Donatien   Bass,Guitar,Percussion,Synthesizer,Guitar (Bass),Vocals (Background)
Xavier Tribolet   Synthesizer
Remy Galichet   Horn Director,String Director
Michael Olatuja   Bass (Electric)
Djessou Mory Kante   Guitar
Paul Rouger   Strings
Gregoire Korniluk   Strings
Amen Viana   Guitar
Jacques Daoud   Vocals (Background)
Dominic James   Guitar,Guitar (Electric)
Dany Synthe   Guitar,Keyboards
Elodie Michalakakos   Strings
Abou Cisse   Vocals (Background)
Adeniyi Adelekan   Vocals

Technical Credits

-M-   Producer,Composer
Jean Hebrail   Composer,Engineer,Producer,Recording,Programming,Vocal Engineer
Alexandre Gandibleu   Assistant
Ben Blazer Kalulu   Engineer
Fabrice Mabillot   Photography
Kevin Kameni   Composer
Oloukemi Zeynab Abibou   Composer
Jonah Greene   Composer
Riley Bell   Mixing
Leandro Hidalgo   Mixing
Yemi Alade   Composer
John Krischer   Engineer
Hugo Zeitoun   Assistant
Jenn Decilveo   Composer
Brad Thomas Ackley   Mixing,Arranger,Producer,Co-Arranger,Programming
David Mrakpor   Composer
Namali Kwaten   Composer
Synematik   Engineer,Producer,Programming,Drum Programming
Nk-Ok   Drum Programming
Faridah Demola-Seriki   Composer
Sampa Tembo   Composer
BloodPop   Composer
Oluwatosin Oluwole Ajibade   Composer
Shungudzo Kuyimba   Composer,Vocal Producer,Vocal Arrangement
Blue Lab Beats   Producer,Programming
Shungudzo   Vocal Producer
Kel P   Producer,Programming
Victor Kpoudosu   Mixing,Composer,Producer,Mastering Engineer
Jesse Ray Ernster   Mixing
Kouny Mestre   Engineer,Recording
Rexxie   Composer,Producer
Chisom Ezeh   Composer,Producer
Angelique Kidjo   Composer,Producer
Nicolas Pflug   A&R
Eli Wolf   Producer,Executive Producer
Chab   Mastering
James Poyser   Engineer,Producer,Programming
Rob Chiarelli   Mixing
Salif Keita   Composer
Miles Walker   Mixing
Jeremie Tuil   Mixing
Pascal Bod   Executive Producer
David Donatien   Producer,Programming
Remy Galichet   Arranger,Horn Arrangements
Joseph Kabasele   Composer
Yann Orhan   Design
Aurelie Ullrich   Art Direction
Naima Hebrail   Composer
Matthieu Chedid   Composer
Dany Synthe   Composer,Producer,Programming
Adeniyi Adelekan   Composer