“Habitat” is the latest full-length album by C’mon Tigre, a Mediterranean region-based duo that gradually developed such a rich and luxurious by introducing additional band members. Therefore, this particular release is their best material to date, thanks to the contributions by Seun Kuti, Arto Lindsay, Xênia França, and Giovanni Truppi, among others. “C’mon Tigre” nurtures such a characteristic sound that defies any pinpointing into a singular category. Perhaps afrobeat comes to mind first, but you’ll notice how many other styles found their way into this majestic sonic equation. These skillful musicians introduced some of the finest properties borrowed from afro jazz, classic jazz, contemporary jazz, funk, soul, ethno, and world music. “C’mon Tigre” uses these additional elements as more than necessary enhancements, accentuations, decorations, and other details that unquestionably uplift every composition on an entirely new level, while the band remains loyal to the primary sonic direction. Therefore, these experimentations with different but complementary music styles resulted in a profoundly complex but easy-listening full-length album that will undoubtedly appeal to all the afrobeat aficionados and beyond.
Numbers like “Goodbye Reality,” “The Botanist,” “Sixty Four Seasons,” “Nomad At Home,” “Na Danca das Flores,” and “Keep Watching Me” are highlights, but that doesn’t mean the remainder of the material sounds bad. Quite the contrary, “Habitat” sounds marvelous from scratch to finish, offering everything you ever needed from modern afrobeat music. Still, this album offers many more vocal, sonic, and rhythmic pleasures thanks to the experience, knowledge, skills, talent, ideas, and musicianship invested by every involved musician. The exceptional rhythmic structures based upon African and South American beats, breaks, fills, and other percussive acrobatics serve as a core that dictates groove and tempo but also keeps the remainder of the instrumentations in line. The jazz, progressive, odd-time signatures make this sonic journey even more complex while simultaneously maintaining the danceable quality of afrobeat music. Also, it’s good to mention that the combination of analog and synth basslines supports these rhythmic maneuvers, offers heaviness, depth, and clarity, but also serves as a binding element between drums, guitars, and other instrumentations.
You’ll also notice how guitars play a significant role by shaping such a rich and luxurious sound built upon tasty, catchy, cleverly assembled arpeggiated and regular chord progressions, funky chops, harmonies, melodies, themes, and leads. The funky guitar work makes “Habitat” even more catchier and flawlessly matches C’mon Tigre’s afrobeat core. The amount of distortion varies depending on the situation, mood, and ambiance of the particular composition, making these guitar virtuosities diverse and enjoyable to listen to. They also incorporated so many other instruments like rhodes, synths, keys, xylophones, string and brass sections. Every instrument works to the advantage of the entire material, so “Habitat” will be right up your alley if you’re looking for a multi-dimensional, transcending, exceptional listening experience. C’mon Tigre thoroughly thought about vocals, so you’ll notice many mesmerizing vocal harmonies, back vocals, and singalongs along the way. The guest vocal appearances play a crucial role as much as the lead vocalist, and their outstanding articulations also contribute to the album’s versatility.
You should immediately put “Habitat” on your radar because C’mon Tigre is not another regular afrobeat project repeating the same old story over again. They break the rules and push the boundaries of so many music genres. These nine compositions are more than a rock-solid proof of their capability to deliver magnificent sonic experience worth repeating over and over again. “Habitat” comes on a hefty 180gr black vinyl housed in a high-quality gatefold packaging, decorated with many beautiful illustrations that became their landmark on preceding releases. Check out their web store or Intersuoni Records for more information about ordering this gem.
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