Aura (King Sunny Adé album)

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Aura
Studio album by
King Sunny Adé
Released1984
GenreJùjú
LabelMango Records[1]
ProducerMartin Meissonnier
King Sunny Adé chronology
Synchro System
(1983) 		Aura
(1984) 		The Return of the Juju King
(1987)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic4/5 stars[2]
Robert ChristgauA[3]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music3/5 stars[4]
MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide4/5 stars[5]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide4.5/5 stars[6]
Spin Alternative Record Guide9/10[7]

Aura is a studio album by the Nigerian jùjú musician King Sunny Adé, released in 1984.[8][9] It is credited to King Sunny Adé and His African Beats.

Unlike Adé's previous two Mango Records albums, Aura did not make the Billboard 200.[10] Mango dropped Adé after its release, and Adé broke up His African Beats.[1][6]

Production[]

The album was produced by Martin Meissonnier.[3] Stevie Wonder contributed harmonica to "Ase".[2] Aura employed five guitarists and six drummers, including Tony Allen.[11][12]

Critical reception[]

Trouser Press thought that "the rhythm tracks are almost pure beatbox in style ... The vocal harmonies in [Adé's] work have a distinctive Latin feel."[13] The Philadelphia Inquirer called the album "subtly hypnotic, captivating," writing that "layer over layer of intricate rhythm is combined with swerving melodies, skirling guitar parts and the call-and-response chanting that is the heart of 'juju' music."[14] Jon Pareles, of The New York Times, listed Aura at number two on his list of the 10 best albums of 1984.[15]

AllMusic wrote that "once again, Adé and a battery of guitarists are particularly impressive, laying down a wealth of nicely integrated solos; as with earlier Adé recordings, the pedal steel work is especially stunning."[2] Mojo deemed the album "even groovier" than Synchro System.[16] Miami New Times argued that "because Aura's cutting-edge songs blended poorly with its more traditional Yoruban-based pieces, it ended up sounding more foreign than his other American LPs."[17]

Track listing[]

No.TitleLength
1."Ase" 
2."Gboromiro" 
3."Ogunja" 
4."Oremi" 
5."Ire" 
6."Iro" 

Personnel[]

  • King Sunny Adé - guitar, vocals
  • Ademola Adepoju - steel guitar
  • Tony Allen - drums

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b "King Sunny Ade | Biography & History". AllMusic.
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b c "Aura - King Sunny Ade | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic" – via www.allmusic.com.
  3. ^ Jump up to: a b "Robert Christgau: CG: King Sunny Ade and His African Beats". www.robertchristgau.com.
  4. ^ Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Volume 1: MUZE. p. 57.CS1 maint: location (link)
  5. ^ MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 1999. p. 637.
  6. ^ Jump up to: a b The Rolling Stone Album Guide. Random House. 1992. pp. 7–8.
  7. ^ Spin Alternative Record Guide. Vintage Books. 1995. pp. 7–8.
  8. ^ "SUNNY ADE: A Trailblazer Retrenches". Los Angeles Times. May 24, 1987.
  9. ^ Matos, Michaelangelo (2020). Can't Slow Down: How 1984 Became Pop's Blockbuster Year. Hachette Books.
  10. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2010). Top Pop Albums (7th ed.). Record Research. p. 19.
  11. ^ "Nuances of the African Sound". The Washington Post. Retrieved 30 June 2021.
  12. ^ Allen, Tony; Veal, Michael E. (September 27, 2013). "Tony Allen: An Autobiography of the Master Drummer of Afrobeat". Duke University Press – via Google Books.
  13. ^ "King Sunny Adé and his African Beats". Trouser Press. Retrieved 30 June 2021.
  14. ^ Rea, Steven X. (26 Aug 1984). "POP AND FOLK RHYTHMS FILL NIGERIAN'S NEW ALBUM". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. I9.
  15. ^ Palmer, Robert (January 9, 1985). "PRINCE LEADS CRITIC'S LIST OF TOP 10" – via NYTimes.com.
  16. ^ "The Mojo Collection: 4th Edition". Canongate Books. November 1, 2007 – via Google Books.
  17. ^ Tarte, Bob. "Raw and Uncooked". Miami New Times.
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