LIBERATION AFRO BEAT VOL. 1
Owing as much toJames BrownandTito Puenteas toFela Kuti, Antibalas, the multiracial 14-piece Brooklyn  collective named after the Spanish word for "bulletproof," are far from straight  Afro Beat revivalists. Instead,Liberation Afro Beat, Vol. 1lays New  York's rich musical heritage of jazz, funk, and Latin groove over Afro Beat's  polyrhythms to spectacular effect, resulting in a raw selection of driving  ghetto funk. Despite tracks being mostly instrumental and nearly 10 minutes  long, the relentless onslaught of rasping horns, African chants, strutting bass,  and frantic percussion mean there's nothing dull about these eight phenomenal  tunes. The collection's explosive Afro/Latin/American collision may earmark it  as a party album, but there is a deeper motivation to their music. Hear the  cries of war in the tenor sax breaks of "Dirt & Blood" and "World War IV"'s  denouncement of American foreign policy; Antibalas's unreserved '70s grooves  come with unreserved passion and politics. With all the ingredients of the  golden age of funk,Liberation Afro Beat, Vol. 1is a modern classic that  matches (beat for socially aware beat) the best the era had to offer.--Dan  Gennoe