GRACE BARBE レコード& CD

Review: Second time around for Afro-Kreole artist Grace Barbe's surprise collaboration with Afrobeat legend Tony Allen, which was first released on seven-inch way back in 2016. Allen handled production and remixing duties on "Afro-Sega", a wonderfully humid and tropical number in which the late drummer's distinctive polyrhythms provide a killer base for Barbe's superb lead vocals and all manner of accompanying musical heat (think undulating funk bass, effects-laden Clavinet riffs and punchy sax). Just as good is flipside "Fatige", an even more colourful and vibrant affair in which the Seychelles Islander explores the tropical sounds of her home archipelago in serious sonic style. Only 160 of these have been pressed in total, so act fast if you want to secure a copy.