Whether you’re aware of it or not, an argument has long simmered in the minds of funk fans. Simply put, did James Brown get the idea for ’70s sound from African musicians like Fela, or did they cop the groove from him? Like all chicken/egg arguments, this one seems destined to remain unresolved. Albums like this don’t help. The eighth in the Ethiopiques series is but the latest to bring the funk in a serious way. This music stomps and swaggers, dripping with horns, nearly toppling with attitude. This is yet another volume of simply astonishing music, music the hip cognoscenti simply can’t believe passed beneath their radar for so long. Most of these folks might crowd the line toward amateur, but their sincerity and fire cannot be denied. Simply astounding music. – Rob Ferrier