Mádé Kuti Discovers New Clarity with ‘Chapter 1’ » PopMatters

There’s ambition suggested by the title of Mádé Kuti’s sophomore release, Chapter 1: Where Does Happiness Come From?, that makes sense for an artist of his lineage. As a musically inclined son of Femi and grandson of Fela, multi-instrumentalist Mádé surely has plenty of stories to tell and the skills to arrange them in song. As his first actual standalone solo work (2021’s For(e)ward was packaged with father Femi Kuti’s Stop the Hate), Chapter 1 gives him a chance to start. It’s one he takes with clarity of vision, allowing him to emerge not as a mere legacy artist but as a fully realized composer and bandleader in his own right.

That’s clear from the beginning of the work. Opening track “Take It All in Before the Lights Go Out” winds up with a silvery blast of futuristic synths followed by a kaleidoscope of racing beats. “Attention, attention: all aboard the Afrobeat Express,” calls a distant voice. The band leave the station to travel routes both familiar and new. It’s an earnest journey for Mádé, who follows in the footsteps of his forefathers as he takes on social issues in his lyrics but finds his own way by locating himself in the world he critiques.

It is this vulnerability that, along with his and his band’s excellent musicianship, makes Mádé’s newest album so compelling. On tracks like “Find My Way” and “I Won’t Run Away”, his voice and saxophone work in tandem in expressions of wanting to do and be with the rest of his community, melodies and lyrics intertwined in gorgeous sentiments that blur the line between contemplation and extraversion. More overtly justice-oriented tracks like “Won Na Pa” and “You Can’t Hide” are all the more moving for the deep personal investments Mádé demonstrates in his more diaristic moments.

As the album draws to a close, Mádé’s points of view and critiques all coalesce in a call for a happier future. “Story” features father Femi. “After the Tears Flow” ends the album on an invigorating note, packing horn, string, and synth solos tight in an action-packed four-and-a-half minutes. Sung at the song’s start, the message of this finale is impactful and straightforward: “After the tears flow / All of us must grow.” In the wake of the many hardships and even tragedies Mádé tackles over the record’s course–greed, violence, oppression–this is a beautiful and bittersweet moment.

Hearing Mádé Kuti put forth such a strong new work is immensely gratifying. While his debut made his talents as a saxophonist, singer, songwriter, arranger, and leader very clear, Chapter 1 feels more like an opening up of his own world. His distinct (literal and metaphorical) voice shines at the forefront of music that is indebted to 1970s Afrobeat in terms of texture but takes entirely different shapes to suit Mádé’s 21st-century consciousness.

With a title that promises more to come, Mádé Kuti’s Chapter 1 sees the artist create, aided but never limited by his pedigree. He’s here to make his own sonorous mark on the world, and it’s going to be a worthwhile one.