Remain
Remain
ANGELIQUE KIDJO
"Remain in Light"
Three-time Grammy winner Angélique Kidjo performs her interpretation of The Talking Heads’ classic 1980 album, Remain in Light.
Often considered the band’s greatest work, Remain in Light pushed sonic boundaries, and dazzled fans with sampled and looped grooves, an innovative technique for the era. Drawing inspiration from legendary Nigerian Afrobeat pioneer Fela Kuti, the album experimented with African polyrhythms and drew lyrical inspiration from African academic literature. Certified gold in the 80s, Remain in Lightcontinues to be recognized on best album lists of all time including Rolling Stone, Billboard, Pitchfork and many other respected music publications. Angélique will record her version of the album with superstar producer Jeff Bhasker (Kanye West, Jay Z, Drake, Beyoncé, Bruno Mars, and Taylor Swift), taking classic songs such as "Crosseyed and Painless," "Once in a Lifetime," and "Born Under Punches (The Heat Goes On)" and reinterpreting them with electrifying rhythms, African guitars, and layered backing vocals.
Press
Press
“Brilliant Return for a talking heads album”
It was a one-world moment, and yet just as often Kidjo’s band re-rooted Talking Heads songs in American vernacular music. And David Byrne was in the house, it turned out, seated in a first-tier box at stage right."
“Ms. Kidjo wasn’t toppling an icon; she was dancing on its heights”
Africa rapturously reclaimed rock when Angélique Kidjo, from Benin, performed all the songs from Talking Heads’ album “Remain in Light” on Friday night at Carnegie Hall, along with a few of her own… Ms. Kidjo’s element was joyful empowerment: the joy of an all-conquering voice and a righteous, uplifting spirit."
“Spirited African Songbird Angélique Kidjo Burns Down the House at Carnegie”
Spirited African Songbird Angélique Kidjo Channels Talking Heads and Burns Down the House at Carnegie…It’s not unusual for crowds at Carnegie Hall’s Stern Auditorium to give standing ovations to well-deserving artists at the finale of a superb performance. But what the striking vocalist Angélique Kidjo did on Friday, May 5 was one better. She not only got the capacity audience on its feet but also got everyone to dance as well…"
“She just won Bonnaroo”
The Benin-born Grammy winner — along with a stellar band including the Antibalas horn section, guitarist Dominic James and a five-member chorus — dove even deeper into the West African grooves that Talking Heads mined from Fela Kuti on their 1980 LP Remain in Light, along with a few originals. She put the “festive” back into “festival” ... As the set came to a close which felt all too soon, we couldn't argue with the stranger we overheard: “She just won Bonnaroo.”
“The experience transcended a normal concert”
Led by Kidjo's massive voice, the band's dual percussion drive and horn-heavy approach drove the audience into a frenzy. When Kidjo left the stage and took to the audience, she blended in to become part of the single writhing organism we had become...For those who got to become one with Angelique Kidjo on Friday night, the experience transcended a normal concert and became something much more special.