King Sunny Adéis a major star in his native Nigeria, where juju is the predominant type of popular music. Despite its name, the music is nowhere near as turbulent as one might expect. Certainly there is a wealth of rhythms – three talking drums, congas, bongos – but the mark of African music is not just fire but smoke. Guitars, voices and drums echo one another's tone and pulse so as to become indistinguishable; rather than sweltering abandon, a controlled, spacious intensity defines these grooves.

As is usually the case with African pop, the keening, reverberant mix of oddly tuned electric guitars gives Juju Music an affecting charm. Yet unlike such beautiful recent collections as Musique D'Afrique and author John Storm Roberts' compilation, Africa Dances, Adé and his fellow guitarist don't so much filter conventional Western sounds and grooves as lightly parody them. Thus does Demola Adepoju's slinky, sensual steel-guitar playing suggest American country music without once referring to it. Synthesizers and cheap combo organs are likewise fully integrated into the percussive litany. Through it all, King Sunny Adé's guitar and voice waft gently and purposefully, never allowing the kettle to boil over, all the while connecting modern Africa to its ancient tribal roots. Juju Music is like some hazy, distant dream of communal ritual and peace. Fans of the New Romantics' soul train would be well-advised to disembark and check it out – the view is breathtaking. (RS 380)

CHIP STERN