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Eagles Add 13 New Dates To 2018 North American Tour

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Due to the overwhelming response for the announced Eagles’ 2018 tour dates, 13 more “An Evening with the Eagles” concerts have been added to the band’s 2018 tour, which kicks off on March 12 in Indianapolis, Indiana. New shows have been set for March 15 in Grand Rapids, MI at the Van Andel Arena; March 19 in Kansas City, MO at the Sprint Center; a second show in Nashville, TN at the Bridgestone Arena on March 24; April 8 in Columbus, OH at the Nationwide Arena; April 10 in Lexington, KY at the Rupp Arena; April 11 in Charlotte, NC at the Spectrum Center; April 16 in Columbia, SC at the Colonial Life Arena; April 17 in Raleigh, NC at the PNC Arena; April 19 in Birmingham, AL at the BJCC Arena; a second show in Vancouver, BC at the Rogers Arena on May 11; July 14 in Buffalo, NY at the KeyBank Center; a second show in Toronto, ON at the Air Canada Centre on July 17; and July 24 in Pittsburgh, PA at the PPG Paints Arena. In addition, a stadium concert has been added on Friday, June 15 in Houston, Texas at Minute Maid Park with Chris Stapleton sharing the bill. A full listing of 2018 tour dates can be found below.

Tickets for these newly announced concerts go on sale Friday, December 15 at 10 AM local time through Ticketmaster.com.

American Express® Card Members will have the opportunity to purchase tickets before the general public beginning Monday, December 11 at 10 AM through Thursday, December 14 at 10 PM local time. Additional presale opportunities will be available beginning Thursday, December 14 at 10 AM.

Eagles 2018 itinerary:
Mon Mar 12 Indianapolis, IN Bankers Life Fieldhouse
Wed Mar 14 Chicago, IL United Center
Thu Mar 15 Grand Rapids, MI Van Andel Arena
Sun Mar 18 St. Louis, MO Scottrade Center
Mon Mar 19 Kansas City, MO Sprint Center**
Wed Mar 21 Des Moines, IA Wells Fargo Arena**
Fri Mar 23 Nashville, TN Bridgestone Arena
Sat Mar 24 Nashville, TN Bridgestone Arena
Sun Apr 08 Columbus, OH Nationwide Arena
Tue Apr 10 Lexington, KY Rupp Arena
Wed Apr 11 Charlotte, NC Spectrum Center
Sat Apr 14 Orlando, FL Camping World Stadium (with Jimmy Buffett and the Coral Reefer Band)
Mon Apr 16 Columbia, SC Colonial Life Arena
Tue Apr 17 Raleigh, NC PNC Arena
Thu Apr 19 Birmingham, AL BJCC Arena
Sat Apr 21 Miami, FL Hard Rock Stadium (with Jimmy Buffett and the Coral Reefer Band)
Thu May 10 Vancouver, BC Rogers Arena
Fri May 11 Vancouver, BC Rogers Arena
Mon May 14 Calgary, AB Scotiabank Saddledome
Tue May 15 Edmonton, AB Rogers Place
Fri Jun 15 Houston, TX Minute Maid Park (with Chris Stapleton)
Sun Jun 17 Tulsa, OK BOK Center
Wed Jun 20 New Orleans, LA Smoothie King Center
Sat Jun 23 Arlington, TX AT&T Stadium (with Chris Stapleton)
Thu Jun 28 Denver, CO Coors Field (with Jimmy Buffett and the Coral Reefer Band)
Sat Jun 30 Minneapolis, MN Target Field (with Jimmy Buffett and the Coral Reefer Band)
Sat Jul 14 Buffalo, NY KeyBank Center**
Sun Jul 15 Toronto, ON Air Canada Centre
Tue Jul 17 Toronto, ON Air Canada Centre
Fri Jul 20 Boston, MA TD Garden
Tue Jul 24 Pittsburgh, PA PPG Paints Arena
Thu Jul 26 Washington, DC Nationals Park** (with James Taylor & His All-Star Band)
Sat Jul 28 Philadelphia, PA Citizens Bank Park (with James Taylor & His All-Star Band)

Go to Droid School with Anthony Daniels, who plays C-3PO In Star Wars

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Class is in session on the set of Star Wars: The Last Jedi. Go to Droid School with Anthony Daniels, who plays C-3PO. The Last Jedi is set to fight its way into theaters on December 15th, 2017.

Stony Plain Records Signs Acclaimed Canadian Roots Guitarist/Singer Sue Foley And Will Release Her Label Debut CD, The Ice Queen, March 2, 2018

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Stony Plain Records announces the signing of acclaimed Canadian roots guitarist/singer Sue Foley, and will release her label debut CD, The Ice Queen, on March 2, 2018.

Produced by Mike Flanigin, who also plays organ on the new disc, The Ice Queen was recorded at Firestation Studios in San Marcos, Texas. Joining Sue Foley as special guests is a trio of legendary Texas guitarslingers – Jimmie Vaughan, Z.Z.Top’s Billy F Gibbons and Charlie Sexton – as well as a host of other Lone Star State all-stars, including Chris “Whipper” Layton (formerly of Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble) and George Rains (drums), Derek O’Brien (guitar), Chris Maresh and Billy Horton (bass) and The Texas Horns: John Mills, Al Gomez, Jimmy Shortell, Randy Zimmerman and Mark “Kaz” Kazanoff.

“I’m extremely excited to be working with Holger Petersen and Stony Plain Records,” Sue Foley says about the new CD. “Holger is one of the most knowledgeable ‘real music’ people in the business. Stony Plain is known to put out great music and I know The Ice Queen has found her home.”

Sue Foley is the only female member of the famed “Jungle Show,” featuring Billy Gibbons, Jimmie Vaughan, Mike Flanigin and Chris Layton, which became one of the hottest tickets in Austin in 2016. Soon after playing two sold out shows at Austin City Limits Live 3TEN Club in December, Foley entered the studio with her Texan pals and began laying down tracks for the new album. She will return to Austin for more of “The Jungle Shows” on December 26 and 27 at Antone’s.

Recorded throughout 2017, The Ice Queen represents Foley’s full circle journey – her return to the roots of her career in Austin with producer Mike Flanigin. The album was recorded with her long-time friends and collaborators Vaughan, Gibbons, Layton, Sexton and others, as well as members of the Tedeschi Trucks and Gary Clark Jr. bands.

“When I was a teenager I idolized Jimmie Vaughan and Billy F Gibbons,” Foley says. “They’re both legends now so this feels like an historical event (at least it does for me). And I grew up sitting at the feet of players like George ‘Big Beat’ Rains, Derek O’Brien and The Texas Horns. I spent many nights watching Charlie Sexton and the Arc Angels with Chris Layton. I learned and grew more musically in my years in Austin than at any point in my life. The fact that all these mega talented musicians have graced my album is beyond anything I hoped for. I am still pinching myself.”

A flood of inspiration and themes can be found on each of the tracks – ranging from lost love, anguish, and struggle to release, forgiveness and rebirth. Mostly recorded live in the studio, Foley’s emotional vocal delivery, conviction, accessible yet inspired lyrics and intrepid guitar playing are all laid out, bare and raw for the songs to reveal.

Opening with the radio friendly, funky, swamp-meets Bo Diddley beat of “Come to Me,” The Ice Queen also features the upbeat and rollicking tracks “Run,” “The Lucky Ones” (a duet with Jimmie Vaughan) and “Gaslight.” There are several bluesy and soulful tracks, including “81,” “The Ice Queen,” (with its menacing John Lee Hooker vibe in tone and substance), “Fool’s Gold” (featuring Billy F Gibbons on vocals and harmonica), “If I Have Forsaken You” (with the horns sounding echoes of the great Bobby “Blue” Bland), and a cheeky, guitar-heavy cover of Bessie Smith’s “Send Me To The ‘Lectric Chair.” Foley also provides some more mellow and unexpected songs on The Ice Queen with the jazzy “Death of a Dream,” the flamenco-blues hybrid “The Dance” (which showcases her acoustic guitar work) and a beautiful cover of the Carter Family’s “Cannonball Blues.”

Sue Foley is a multi-award-winning musician and one of the finest blues and roots artists working today. She is a veritable triple-threat of musical talent as a guitarist, songwriter and vocalist. As with many blues women of the past, Foley has a long history of defying convention, and being a positive role model for aspiring, young female musicians.

She has been working professionally since the age of 16, and by the age of 21, Foley had relocated to Austin, Texas, and began recording for Antone’s, the esteemed blues label and historic nightclub that helped launch the career of Stevie Ray Vaughan and many others. In the two decades that have followed, Sue Foley has been busy touring and recording steadily, all while toting her signature pink paisley Fender Telecaster. In 2001, she won the prestigious Juno Award (Canadian equivalent of the Grammy) and also holds the record for the most Maple Blues Awards in Canada and has earned three Trophees de Blues de France. She has also garnered several nominations at the Blues Music Awards from The Blues Foundation.

The Ice Queen represents Sue Foley’s indefatigable commitment to her craft, and her transparency with the journey that birthed her, further proving that you can’t keep a good blueswoman down, particularly when she is The Ice Queen.

Stony Plain Records Signs Acclaimed Canadian Roots Guitarist/Singer Sue Foley And Will Release Her Label Debut CD, The Ice Queen, March 2, 2018

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Stony Plain Records announces the signing of acclaimed Canadian roots guitarist/singer Sue Foley, and will release her label debut CD, The Ice Queen, on March 2, 2018.

Produced by Mike Flanigin, who also plays organ on the new disc, The Ice Queen was recorded at Firestation Studios in San Marcos, Texas. Joining Sue Foley as special guests is a trio of legendary Texas guitarslingers – Jimmie Vaughan, Z.Z.Top’s Billy F Gibbons and Charlie Sexton – as well as a host of other Lone Star State all-stars, including Chris “Whipper” Layton (formerly of Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble) and George Rains (drums), Derek O’Brien (guitar), Chris Maresh and Billy Horton (bass) and The Texas Horns: John Mills, Al Gomez, Jimmy Shortell, Randy Zimmerman and Mark “Kaz” Kazanoff.

“I’m extremely excited to be working with Holger Petersen and Stony Plain Records,” Sue Foley says about the new CD. “Holger is one of the most knowledgeable ‘real music’ people in the business. Stony Plain is known to put out great music and I know The Ice Queen has found her home.”

Sue Foley is the only female member of the famed “Jungle Show,” featuring Billy Gibbons, Jimmie Vaughan, Mike Flanigin and Chris Layton, which became one of the hottest tickets in Austin in 2016. Soon after playing two sold out shows at Austin City Limits Live 3TEN Club in December, Foley entered the studio with her Texan pals and began laying down tracks for the new album. She will return to Austin for more of “The Jungle Shows” on December 26 and 27 at Antone’s.

Recorded throughout 2017, The Ice Queen represents Foley’s full circle journey – her return to the roots of her career in Austin with producer Mike Flanigin. The album was recorded with her long-time friends and collaborators Vaughan, Gibbons, Layton, Sexton and others, as well as members of the Tedeschi Trucks and Gary Clark Jr. bands.

“When I was a teenager I idolized Jimmie Vaughan and Billy F Gibbons,” Foley says. “They’re both legends now so this feels like an historical event (at least it does for me). And I grew up sitting at the feet of players like George ‘Big Beat’ Rains, Derek O’Brien and The Texas Horns. I spent many nights watching Charlie Sexton and the Arc Angels with Chris Layton. I learned and grew more musically in my years in Austin than at any point in my life. The fact that all these mega talented musicians have graced my album is beyond anything I hoped for. I am still pinching myself.”

A flood of inspiration and themes can be found on each of the tracks – ranging from lost love, anguish, and struggle to release, forgiveness and rebirth. Mostly recorded live in the studio, Foley’s emotional vocal delivery, conviction, accessible yet inspired lyrics and intrepid guitar playing are all laid out, bare and raw for the songs to reveal.

Opening with the radio friendly, funky, swamp-meets Bo Diddley beat of “Come to Me,” The Ice Queen also features the upbeat and rollicking tracks “Run,” “The Lucky Ones” (a duet with Jimmie Vaughan) and “Gaslight.” There are several bluesy and soulful tracks, including “81,” “The Ice Queen,” (with its menacing John Lee Hooker vibe in tone and substance), “Fool’s Gold” (featuring Billy F Gibbons on vocals and harmonica), “If I Have Forsaken You” (with the horns sounding echoes of the great Bobby “Blue” Bland), and a cheeky, guitar-heavy cover of Bessie Smith’s “Send Me To The ‘Lectric Chair.” Foley also provides some more mellow and unexpected songs on The Ice Queen with the jazzy “Death of a Dream,” the flamenco-blues hybrid “The Dance” (which showcases her acoustic guitar work) and a beautiful cover of the Carter Family’s “Cannonball Blues.”

Sue Foley is a multi-award-winning musician and one of the finest blues and roots artists working today. She is a veritable triple-threat of musical talent as a guitarist, songwriter and vocalist. As with many blues women of the past, Foley has a long history of defying convention, and being a positive role model for aspiring, young female musicians.

She has been working professionally since the age of 16, and by the age of 21, Foley had relocated to Austin, Texas, and began recording for Antone’s, the esteemed blues label and historic nightclub that helped launch the career of Stevie Ray Vaughan and many others. In the two decades that have followed, Sue Foley has been busy touring and recording steadily, all while toting her signature pink paisley Fender Telecaster. In 2001, she won the prestigious Juno Award (Canadian equivalent of the Grammy) and also holds the record for the most Maple Blues Awards in Canada and has earned three Trophees de Blues de France. She has also garnered several nominations at the Blues Music Awards from The Blues Foundation.

The Ice Queen represents Sue Foley’s indefatigable commitment to her craft, and her transparency with the journey that birthed her, further proving that you can’t keep a good blueswoman down, particularly when she is The Ice Queen.

The Top 30 Most-Recorded Holiday Songs

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s holiday songs increasingly fill the airwaves and our eardrums, Music Reports, the world’s most advanced rights administration platform, has compiled a list of the 30 most recorded holiday songs. Songdex®, the largest database of music rights in the world, contains records of both musical compositions and the recorded versions of those compositions, allowing the company to identify here the all-time most recorded holiday songs.

Sentimental holiday favorite “Silent Night” tops the list with 137,315 recorded versions, followed by chestnuts “White Christmas,” “Jingle Bells,” “The Christmas Song” and “Winter Wonderland” filling out the top five. Impressively, Mariah Carey’s (and Walter Afanasieff’s) more modern classic “All I Want For Christmas Is You” rounds out the list, with 13,419 recorded versions just since the song’s debut in 1994 – a feat rivaled only by “Last Christmas,” written by George Michael, with 17,806 versions recorded since 1984.

Music Reports is a global technology platform for the administration of copyright transactions. Its assets include Songdex®, the world’s most authoritative registry of music rights and related business information, and a rapidly customizable SaaS platform for content management and accounting. Music Reports accounts and settles payments for all music rights types in multiple territories and currencies, and builds and hosts solutions for sales data pre-processing, reporting data transformation, content catalog management, and business intelligence analytics.

Full list (as of November 30, 2017):

1. “Silent Night” (137,315)
2. “White Christmas” (128,276)
3. “Jingle Bells” (89,681)
4. “The Christmas Song” (80,064)
5. “Winter Wonderland” (70,471)
6. “Santa Claus Is Coming To Town” (68,669)
7. “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” (65,377)
8. “Joy To The World” (59,767)
9. “I’ll Be Home For Christmas” (56,552)
10. “Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!” (54,446)
11. “Rudolph, The Red-Nosed Reindeer” (49,384)
12. “O Holy Night” (48,665)
13. “Silver Bells” (48,440)
14. “Blue Christmas” (42,375)
15. “The Little Drummer Boy” (37,150)
16. “Frosty The Snowman” (36,867)
17. “Here Comes Santa Claus” (34,907)
18. “Jingle Bell Rock” (32,247)
19. “Sleigh Ride” (29,148)
20. “I’ve Got My Love To Keep Me Warm” (28,758)
21. “Baby It’s Cold Outside” (26,767)
22. “We Wish You a Merry Christmas” (25,112)
23. “It’s Beginning To Look a Lot Like Christmas” (23,900)
24. “Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree” (23,636)
25. “I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus” (22,102)
26. “O Little Town of Bethlehem” (20,307)
27. “Last Christmas” (17,806)
28. “My Favorite Things” (17,111)
29. “Do You Hear What I Hear” (14,410)
30. “All I Want For Christmas Is You” (13,419)

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Nashville’s Johnny Cash Museum Makes TripAdvisor’s “Top 10 Trending U.S. Attractions For Fall 2017”

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The Johnny Cash Museum once again is proud to be among great company as a “Top 10 Trending U.S. Attraction for Fall 2017” by TripAdvisor. Owners Bill and Shannon Miller are elated to see fans, tourists and locals celebrating this “must-see” attraction and returning time and time again to see the latest exhibits honoring the professional and personal life of American music icon Johnny Cash.

“We are gratified that fans from around the globe have once again recognized the Johnny Cash Museum as a world class attraction,” says Founder Bill Miller.

Since opening its doors in April 2013, The Johnny Cash Museum has expanded twice adding a café and additional exhibition space. The latest wing of exhibits profile “Walk the Line,” The Carter Family, The Legends of Sun Records and Cash Covers in addition to green screen technologies that enable fans to get a picture with Johnny Cash.

The Family’s All Here! One Day at a Time Season 2 Launches January 26 on Netflix

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This is it… One Day at a Time returns with its much-anticipated second season Friday, January 26, exclusively on Netflix.

Watch Justina Machado, Rita Moreno and the rest of the One Day family announce the Season 2 premiere date and pay hilarious homage to the original series with a frame-for-frame recreation the opening credits:

…and afterward, check the original One Day at a Time title sequence.

A reimagining of the iconic Norman Lear’s classic sitcom, One Day at a Time is an hilarious and heartfelt comedy that follows three generations of a Cuban-American family navigating the ups and downs of life. A newly-single mom and military veteran journeys through the triumphs and tribulations that come with raising two strong-willed, mega-millennial children, all the while enlisting the “help” of her old-school mother and her building manager-turned-invaluable confidant. Through a contemporary lens, One Day at a Time offers a glimpse at what life looks like, in good times and bad — and how those around you somehow make it all worthwhile.

One Day at a Time stars Justina Machado, Rita Moreno, Stephen Tobolowsky, Todd Grinnell, Isabella Gomez and Marcel Ruiz. Norman Lear executive produces, with Gloria Calderon Kellett and Mike Royce executive producing and co-showrunning. Michael Garcia and Brent Miller also executive produce. One Day at a Time is produced by Sony Television Productions for Netflix.

Apple reveals 2017’s most popular apps, music, movies and more

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Apple has unveiled its 2017 charts and trends, celebrating the most popular apps, music, movies, TV shows, books and podcasts across the App Store, Apple Music, iTunes, iBooks and Apple Podcasts.
Editors and curators from Apple Music, App Store and iTunes highlight great content from indie artists and developers from around the globe.

Music

On Apple Music, Drake tops album of the year with “More Life,” while Ed Sheeran’s “Shape of You” gets top song honors. Taylor Swift’s album “reputation” has already shot up to #3 on the 2017 US top album charts, despite having only been available for a short period of time. Apple Music Up Next 2017 artists Khalid, Daniel Caesar and 6LACK all earned GRAMMY nominations as part of their success this year.

Sufjan Stevens Took 26 Years To Write A Song About Tonya Harding, And It’s Finally Here

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Sufjan Stevens has just released two versions of “Tonya Harding,” and the songs are available now on Bandcamp/Spotify/Apple Music. It’ll also be released as a limited edition blue cassette single, and a limited edition 7 inch on blue marbled vinyl.

Get ready to learn more about Tonya, because Sufjan just wrote a long post about why it took him 26 years to complete the song.

 

“I’ve been trying to write a Tonya Harding song since I first saw her skate at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in 1991. She’s a complicated subject for a song partly because the hard facts of her life are so strange, disputable, heroic, unprecedented, and indelibly American. She was one of the greatest figure skaters of her time, and the first American woman to perform a triple axle in an international competition. She was an unlikely skating star, having been raised working class in Portland, Oregon. Being a poor outsider, her rise to fame in the skating rink was seen, by some, as a blemish on a sport that favored sophistication and style. Tonya’s skating technique was feisty, fierce, and full of athleticism, and her flamboyant outfits were often hand-made by her mother (who was abusive and overbearing). (They couldn’t afford Vera Wang.) And then there was the Nancy Kerrigan incident. In January 1994, Tonya’s then-boyfriend Jeff Gillooly hired an assailant, Shane Stant, to break fellow figure skater Nancy Kerrigan’s leg at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships at Cobo Arena in Detroit, so that she would be unable to compete at the upcoming Winter Olympics. The after-math of the attack was recorded on camera and ultimately set off a media frenzy (and an FBI investigation). Gillooly and Stan were eventually found guilty, and Tonya pleaded guilty to hindering the prosecution, and was subsequently banned for life from the U.S. Figure Skating Association. Nancy Kerrigan recovered from her injury and won a silver medal at the Winter Olympics. Tonya Harding finished eighth.

But that’s not even half the story. When Tonya and Gillooly got married, they filmed themselves having sex on their wedding night and produced one of the first-ever celebrity sex tapes (which they sold to Penthouse for $200,000 each). Tonya also had a brief career as a boxer, and is most famous for her bout with former Arkansas state employee Paula Jones (whose sexual harassment suit against Bill Clinton precipitated his impeachment in 1998). Tonya was also (very briefly) in a band called the Golden Blades (they were allegedly booed off the stage during their first and only performance). She also raced vintage automobiles (setting a record by driving a Ford Model A over 97 miles per hours on the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah). And in 1996 Tonya used mouth-to-mouth resuscitation to revive an 81-year-old woman who collapsed at a bar in Portland while playing video poker. That’s a lot to accomplish before the age of 30!

Tonya Harding’s dramatic rise and fall was fiercely followed by the media, and she very quickly became the brunt of jokes, the subject of tabloid headlines and public outcry. She was a reality TV star before such a thing even existed. But she was also simply un-categorical: America’s sweetheart with a dark twist. But I believe this is what made her so interesting, and a true American hero. In the face of outrage and defeat, Tonya bolstered shameless resolve and succeeded again and again with all manners of re-invention and self-determination. Tonya shines bright in the pantheon of American history simply because she never stopped trying her hardest. She fought classism, sexism, physical abuse and public rebuke to become an incomparable American legend.

I admit, early drafts of this song contained more than a few puns, punch lines and light-hearted jabs—sex tapes and celebrity boxing make for an entertaining narrative arc. But the more I edited, and the more I meditated, and the more I considered the wholeness of the person of Tonya Harding, I began to feel a conviction to write something with dignity and grace, to pull back the ridiculous tabloid fodder and take stock of the real story of this strange and magnificent America hero. At the end of the day, Tonya Harding was just an ordinary woman with extraordinary talent and a tireless work ethic who set out to do her very best. She did that and more. I hope the same can be said of us all.”

Seun Kuti & Egypt 80’s New Album from Afrobeat Leaders ft Carlos Santana, Robert Glasper Out March 2

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Seun Kuti & Egypt 80 will release their fourth album Black Times via celebrated UK label Strut Records on March 2, 2018. The youngest son of Afrobeat legend Fela Anikulapo Kuti is as incensed by injustice as his father and, with the new album, honors the revolutionaries who have gone before and rallies the torchbearers to come. Black Times features appearances from Carlos Santana, Robert Glasper and more. Hear lead single and title track Black Times featuring Carlos Santana below:

With its rousing male and female harmonies, furious guitar riffs and Kuti’s soaring tenor sax, the Black Times single gives us truth. Lyrics such as “Understand your history / rise to be free” shine a forensics-style black light on that which is otherwise hidden, intensified by the axe-work of Carlos Santana.

Egypt 80, the extraordinary dance orchestra created by Fela Kuti as a conduit for the common people. Inherited by the 14-year-old Seun in 1997, the younger Kuti has been building to this, his most accomplished and honest album yet. Black Times is a true reflection of my political and social beliefs, says the singer, bandleader and musician, 34. “It is an album for anybody who believes in change and understands the duty we have to rise up and come together. The elites always try to divide the working class and the poor people of the world. The same oppression felt by workers in Flint, Michigan is felt by workers in Lagos and Johannesburg.”

The tracks are designed to spark conversation and realign priorities. The elegant African Dreams insists that commercial success counts for little. “Pay no heed to examples set by accepted African-American celebrities,” says Kuti, and marvel instead at the philosophies of such great thinkers as the late Pan-Africanist Doctor Amos Wilson. “The message,” Kuti sings, “is free.” Bad Man Lighter is a horn-heavy track calling out duplicity and defending the right to smoke the good weed; the politically charged Corporate Public Control Department (C.P.C.D) is a roiling protest anthem directed at Muhammadu Bahari’s Nigerian government and indeed, at deceitful politicians the world over.

Co-written with veteran Egypt 80 saxophonist Abedimeji “Showboy” Fagbemi, the frenetic, finger-pointing Kuku Kee Me borrows from a Nigerian saying (“When someone is always on your case, you’re like ‘Save yourself the stress and kuku kill me now'”) while Theory Of Goat And Yam ridicules a homily invented by former Nigerian president Goodluck Jonathan, who justified corruption by likening politicians to goats tempted by yams: “By taking money meant for a hospital or to build roads, they are actually costing human lives.

Last Revolutionary featuring Robert Glasper’s keys is a paean to authentic leaders past, present and future, name-checking homegrown African heroes, revolutionaries and freedom fighters like Kwame Nkrumah, Thomas Sankara and Patrice Lumumba. “I say the names of these men who died for us without any promise of resurrection,” says Seun Kuti. “Maybe it will cause a young man or woman to wonder who they are. Maybe they will Google them, then set out on a journey whose destination is unknown.

“We are all capable of change, us iron people, us workers. Black Times is the sound of the people, and a weapon of the future. The big picture needs more colour.”

BLACK TIMES Track Listing
1 – Last Revolutionary
2 – Black Times ft Carlos Santana
3 – Corporate Public Control Department (CPCD)
4 – Kuku Kee Me
5 – Bad Man Lighter
6 – African Dreams
7 – Struggle Sounds
8 – Theory of Goat And Yam