King Sunny Ade charted with Juju Music

First posted 4/1/2008; updated 9/8/2020.

Juju Music King Sunny Adé

Charted: April 9, 1983 Peak: 111 US, -- UK, -- CN, -- AU Sales (in millions): -- US, -- UK, -- world (includes US and UK) Genre: world music

Tracks: (Click for codes to singles charts.) Ja Funmi Eje Nlo Gba Ara Mi Mo Beru Agba Sunny Ti de Ariya Ma Jaiye Oni 365 Is My Number/ The Message Samba/ E Falaba Lewe

Rating: 4.630 out of 5.00 (average of 9 ratings) Quotable: “First-disc choice for…the Afro-pop curious” – Stephen Cook, All Music Guide Awards:

About the Album: “After nearly 15 years as Nigeria’s biggest musical draw and juju music’s reigning monarch, King Sunny Adé went global in 1982 with a brief but fertile stint on the Mango label. The three albums that resulted – Juju Music, Synchro System, and Aura – gave Ade unprecedented exposure on the Western market and introduced a slew of music lovers to the sounds of Afro-pop” (Cook). “Juju Music was the first of Adé’s Mango titles and remains the best of the lot. Over the course of seven extended cuts, King Sunny Adé & His African Beats lay down their trademark mix of talking drum-driven grooves, multi-guitar weaves, lilting vocal harmonies, and pedal steel accents; for this major-label debut, the band also chucks in some tasteful synthesizer bits and a few reggae-dub flourishes. Besides classic juju pop like Ja Funmi and Ma Jaiye Oni, Ade and his 20-piece entourage serve up percussion breakdowns like Sunny Ti de Ariya and a heady blend of soul, dub, and synth noodlings on 365 Is My Number/ The Message. Throughout, Ade deftly inserts Hawaiian slide guitar licks and Spanish-tinged lines reminiscent of Hendrix’ ‘All Along the Watchtower.’ Juju Music should not only be the first-disc choice for Adé newcomers, but for the Afro-pop curious as well” (Cook).

Resources and Related Links: Stephen Cook, All Music Guide