Alhaji Waziri Oshomah - Vol. 1

Format: LP
Catalogue No.: LBLBOP5045
Barcode: 0680899504515
Release Date: 24 Mar 2023
Genre: International

Standard weight black vinyl.

TRACKLIST:
Side 1
1. Forgive Them Oh God Amin -- Amin
2. Emoi Khakiegwi Aghumheile
Side 2
1. Igwegi Baba
2. Iyuchele Opomumhe

On the heels of his already critically acclaimed (yes, already!) retrospective, World Spirituality Classics 3: The Muslim Highlife of Alhaji Waziri Oshomah, Alhaji Waziri Oshomah — the Oyoyo King, the Godfather of Afemai Music, the Etsako Super Star, Mr. Please Please Please, Mr. Dynamite — returns with Vol. 1.

Along with the other four volumes of the series, Vol. 1 is now available—for the very first time!—as part of a complete set (in a box): Vol 1 - 5 (1978 - 1985) (November 4, 2022).

Waziri hails from a small part of Edo State in southern Nigeria called Afemailand, known for being a harmonious region where Muslims and Christians live—and dance—together. And there, as a devout Muslim and an exemplar of religious piety in his community, Waziri’s music fuses Etsako/Afemai folk styles with pan-Nigerian highlife and pop to create a sublime vehicle for his Islamic philosophy that gets everyone—Muslims, Christians, whoever—on the dancefloor.

Vol. 1 focuses on Waziri’s illustrious mid-career output—the music he created during the years leading up to and after he performed his first hajj. Every song here (one of which you might recognize from The Muslim Highlife) strikes his signature balance of traditional music, highlife, and funk, as he entreats you to stay on the straight and narrow, though there’s nothing straight about his beat.

PRESS/ONLINE:
The Muslim Highlife of Alhaji Waziri Oshomah, received killer reviews from Uncut (8/10), MOJO (★★★★), and Pitchfork (7.2), which called it “therapy, worship, ecstasy.”

LIVE:
Alhaji Waziri Oshomah will play select shows— along with his wife and musical collaborator Madam Hassanah Waziri—in the U.S. and Europe throughout 2023.

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