Ibibio Sound Machine

Given Nigeria's powerful musical tradition and the strong expat Nigerian community in the UK, it's perhaps surprising we haven't heard more of this kind of British-Nigerian contemporary sound on the world music circuit. However, when people talk of Afrobeat in Tottenham these days, they generally mean the cutting-edge post-dubstep electronica of groups like Weray Ent rather than Fela Kuti. There is also a strong pop culture coming out of Nigeria, too, with D'banj being its most significant breakout artist. In that context, this album, fronted by female singer Eno Williams, feels slightly precariously balanced between these elements, the old-style Fela Afrobeat and even earlier highlife. ‘The Talking Fish’ and ‘The Tortoise’ are real retro funk with big brass stabs; the hit single ‘Let's Dance’ is a disco-tinged workout; and despite the odd modern sounds, it's either hopelessly or deliciously retro depending on your point of view.

What is original is its no-nonsense feminist attitude, and the space given to the sometimes psychedelic guitars. When it comes together, as it does via the delicious brass and minimal backing track of ‘Prodigal Son’, there's enough to convince the listener that Williams is an artist with real global potential in her clash of London and Ibibio elements. The real test will be whether her eight-piece band can consistently deliver.