“Ikenga Go Marry Me” by Ikenga Super Stars of Africa - album review

features in: Album Chart of 1975 ● Album Chart of the Decade: 1970s

Nigeria’s Ikenga Super Stars of Africa, led by Vincent Okoroego, broke through all over the continent with this release, their first on the Rogers All Stars label. The Ikengas called their style of music “Ikwokilikwo”, the implication being that it’s a mixing bowl of ingredients, including the home-grown elements of Highlife, Igbo traditional music and Soukous as well as western influences such as Funk and Jazz. The pidgin English lyrics almost certainly broadened their appeal across ethnic lines. As is normal for the form, the LP consists solely of just 2 extended pieces; “Ikenga Go Marry Me”, a humorous tale about how the group’s growing status is leading to shallow proposals and “Ikenga In Africa” which cleverly gives a shout-out to republics the continent over, undoubtedly ensuring some bonus sales. Smart operators! This neat LP is out-of-print, but it has been made available at the Global Groove. Get it here.

The Jukebox Rebel
06–Sep–2014

Tracklist

A	[18:04] Ikenga Superstars of Africa - Ikenga Go Marry Me (Ignatius Iboma) Africana
B	[18:42] Ikenga Superstars of Africa - Ikenga In Africa (Alikaman) Africana

ratings by TJR