Pax Nicholas - "Na Teef Know de Road of Teef [audio:nateef.mp3] So, here I am at Fela Kuti’s grave.  I got my boombox, a jug of wine, and my new Pax Nicholas CD in tow.   It was my hopes to obtain a posthumous quote from him for this review.  First, I open the wine because I’m a little nervous about talking to the dead.  Then, I pop in the album and slowly ramp up the volume.  You don’t want to wake the dead suddenly, so as to not get them grumpy.  After playing a few minutes of the title track “Na Teef Know De Road of Teef”, nada, zip, zero.  He didn’t roll over.  His hand didn’t break through the ground to turn off the music.  This must mean that after thirty years, he finally doesn’t give a damn that Nicholas’ album finally got released on Daptone Records.  An album that he explicitly forbade Nicholas to release in public. I’m guessing he’s matured in death. I’m not sure what pissed him off.  Actually no one was quite certain of the reason. Maybe it was the fact that Nicholas used the same band members as Fela’s Africa 70?  Or maybe it because it was recorded at Ginger Baker’s studio, giving it a sound quality that most of Fela’s imitators couldn’t match.  Oh, if you would just speak up, Fela! After all, I did bring you wine. Nicholas was Fela’s conga player and back up singer, when he ventured his solo career he wasn’t the commanding presence Fela was (especially when it came down to vocals).  However Nicholas did make a fine record and yes, it is definitely worth purchasing. If you are new to Afrobeat, what you get with this rare record is a ridiculous rhythm section, great horns, slow building grooves that always pay off and a healthy dose of funk.  Nicholas’ approach seems to be looser and slightly more psychedelic in arrangement and mix.  Sometimes it’s refreshing, at other times it just seems like percussion is put on top because, well, it’s a percussionist’s record.   Tempos are on the slower side with the intent of stretching out ideas, giving the record a more contemplative feel versus, say, the urge to a revolution. Lyrically, he tackles the big issues, calling out the self-righteous thieves of the world (likely the ones in his own backyard of Lagos, Nigeria).  Letting us know that whether man or woman, we are all one and the equal with the same struggles.  He also reminds us that no matter how rich you are, you’re still going to die broke as the rest of us because you can’t take your money with you. His lyrics tend to be meditative and introspective than a direct attempt at solving the issue which is just fine by me.  Hell, there are no universal solutions to these problems anyway, so go figure it out for your damn self.  Right, Fela?  Fela?  You still there…? *** For more info on how Daptone Records acquired this rare gem, visit: http://www.daptonerecords.com/pax_nicholas.html Or to purchase this collector's edition in vinyl or CD, go to: Amazon.com or eMusic