{"id":10202,"date":"2017-02-23T05:00:21","date_gmt":"2017-02-23T05:00:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/associatednews.us\/content\/2017\/02\/23\/first-listen-ibibio-sound-machine-uyai\/"},"modified":"2017-02-23T05:00:21","modified_gmt":"2017-02-23T05:00:21","slug":"first-listen-ibibio-sound-machine-uyai","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/associatednews.us\/content\/first-listen-ibibio-sound-machine-uyai\/","title":{"rendered":"First Listen: Ibibio Sound Machine, 'Uyai'"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Jason Heller<\/a><\/span> <\/p>\n

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\n Ibibio Sound Machine’s new album, Uyai<\/em>, comes out March 3.<\/p>\n

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Dan Wilton\/Courtesy of the artist<\/p>\n

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Dan Wilton\/Courtesy of the artist<\/p>\n

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Eno Williams, the lead singer and spiritual force behind Ibibio Sound Machine, was born in London, but she relocated to her mother’s native Nigeria as a girl. It’s a move that, years, later, would make a profound impact on musical career. In 2014, Ibibio Sound Machine’s eponymous debut album skillfully combined London electronic club music with Nigerian funk and pop, making for a compelling, ear-popping experience. The band’s follow-up album, Uyai<\/em>, strengthens and deepens that cross-cultural alchemy.<\/p>\n

“Uyai” means “beauty” in the Nigerian language of Ibibio, and it’s a fitting title for this beautiful record. Awash in exultation and infused with melody, Uyai<\/em> is a gorgeous vision of international pop. “The Chant (Iquo Isang)” starts out with a punch of clipped, stabbing electro, but it settles into a jazzy haze by song’s end \u2014 tied together, as its title implies, by Williams’ infectious chanting. Swaying and gently syncopated, “One That Lights Up (Andi Domo Ikang Uwem Mi)” evokes African countryside and urban jungles alike. And on “The Pot Is On Fire,” the song’s incendiary catchiness bubbles brightly, a workout of jittery percussion and kinetic joy.<\/p>\n

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