Tony Allen - Home Cooking

Nigerian master drummer Tony Allen was the rhythmic power behind Afrobeat king Fela Kuti’s throne—the bandleader needed four drummers to replace him when the two parted ways in the late 1970s. Allen’s own star has risen recently—especially in the wake of Kuti’s death in 1997 and the renewed interest in Afrobeat music. Here, Allen stretches his music’s boundaries, venturing into r&b territory on “Calling,” collaborating with Brit rapper Ty on the anti-war “Don’t Fight” and teaming up with Blur’s Damon Albarn on the infectious, shuffling title track.