Pax Nicholas and the Nettey Family

For all those that have the temerity to declare Afro-beat passé comes another reminder that the music of the most populous country in Africa has barely been heard by North American ears. This rediscovery is actually pretty close to main street for Afro-beat fans. Pax Nicholas was a member of Fela's band from 1970 to '77 and this disc sports quite a few Afrika 70 members. Expected similarities arise, so much so that when Fela heard about this album in 1973 he was incensed that his sound had been ripped off. While this won't let down any groovy DJ mix it certainly doesn't transcend the jazzy swing of Fela's arrangements of the time, nor does it come close to matching his hypnotic power as a front-man. Nevertheless, with Nicholas in the keyboard chair there's a bit more attention to detail in that department. The top track is the James Brown approximation "You," which sounds like it could've been on The Payback.