Vibrations Studios

Since trekking to the south thirteen years ago, Nigerian-born AdeKunle Ayodeji Odutayo a.k.a Kunle Ayo's career as a singer, songwriter and guitarist has been an exciting musical journey of exploration. As a young boy growing up in Epe, a musically rich urban sprawl on the fringes of Lagos, Kunle caught the musical bug. Despite the influence and inspiration of various legendary performers in Kunle’s guitar style, his music has remained true to his Yoruba roots.

It is against this background that Kunle Ayo has decided to explore his roots in his latest album, A Taste Of Home. A celebration of Nigeria's diverse folk music styles, A Taste Of Home is really that: a taste of the giant West African state's rich musical heritage. This is a proud heritage famous for its elaborate drumming traditions and expressive spoken word culture rich in folklore, imagery, poetry and proverbs. While Kunle Ayo has always shared his proud Yoruba musical heritage with his South African and indeed international audiences, it is now time to genuinely showcase his musical heritage with some of his musical friends from the south.

As part of his south-west musical odyssey, A Taste Of Home was also inspired by the artist's desire to share his cultural background and personal experiences with fans and friends. "The idea came to me sometime late last year. I was working on another album but decided to shelve it for a while as I had suddenly developed this urge to tell the world about my native land, its culture, social scene and other related issues", he explains. "The challenge to communicate my experiences found expression in songs which I kept writing and rewriting in an effort to articulate these experiences; in particular my artistic expression and interpretation of Nigerian folk music". So with folk music as its basis, A Taste Of Home is an album that is rich in social themes and brings to the fore a slice of the Yoruba's wealth of wise sayings. "I believe that the future of African music is the combination of the past and the present”, he continued.
 
This brand new album kicks off with the eponymous “Kunle Ayo”, a celebratory song with some meaningful rapping by Caribbean-born Antonio Lyon. The follow-up, Eniyan (People), is a hauntingly beautiful song which laments the lack of love and trust amongst humanity. Gloria Bosman's plaintive voice adds a lot of authenticity to the song's poignant message as it pleads and prays for love and understanding amongst God's children. Fokus (track 3) is a happy, optimistic, highly danceable track with a Latin tinge. Its brass-dominated rhythm is defined by the late Moses Khumalo's signature alto sax. Beneath its happy-go-lucky character is a serious message to young people to stay focused in their chosen fields; a sadly ironic message from a promising talent that was cut short in its prime under mysterious circumstances.

Fans of Africa's most celebrated and much lamented musician and political activist, Fela Anikulapo Kuti (1938-1997) would surely identify with Integrity (track 9). Delivered in the unique Fela style, Integrity is a call to the often problematic African leaders to be true to their election promises during voting campaigns. Mozambican-born Moreira Chonguita's sweet soprano sax punctuates Kunle Ayo's flawless vocal and stylistic impersonation of the self-styled Black President.
Nothing To Something (track 11) explains the inspiration behind the genesis of A Taste Of Home. The background is that it all started out of the blue and developed into a worthy musical enterprise. The message? Hard work and perseverance eventually yield positive rewards. Celebrated American-born saxophonist, Kirk Whalum, rises to the occasion wth his sublime saxophone blowing.
Kunle embraces his devout Christian upbringing and gospel roots in Baba Rere (Good God) - "There is always the need to ask help from the Man upstairs. God is always waiting for us to ask from Him," he said. Baba Rere features Nigerian-born vocalist James Okon, whose special voice brings a lot of soul to the song. One of South Africa's unheralded talents, MXO, demonstrates his vocal virtuosity in Ife (track 5), a passionate song of unity and a masterpiece, if ever there is one.
Another unsung voice is that of songbird Lindiwe, who appropriately wraps up proceedings with Mother's Song, a jazzy, R&B-ish beauty that pays homage to those who nurture and bring forth life - our mothers. "Working with some of South Africa's talented musicians has taught me valuable lessons - one being that Africa is one in various ways. These musicians opened my ears to the unique sound of South African music while at the same time making me aware of the similarities between West African and South African music. Working with them on this album has been an incredible experience".

With A Taste Of Home, Kunle Ayo's musical pendulum of exploration has swung full circle. With his love and genuine appreciation of South African music, he has gone beyond the borders. Because of his patriotism as a Nigerian, he has revisited his roots using a uniquely global language - music with a hint of what the future holds.