WHO IS THE NEXT SUPERSTAR? – PART 3:

FROM KSA TO TUFACE…?

STAGECRAFT

KSA:

It is not for nothing KSA is adjudged the most charismatic stage performer out of Africa - arguably second only to the inimitable Fela Anikulapo-Kuti - on the 'All-time' list.

  As far back as the mid 1970's, KSA adroitly fused his dexterity on the guitar with dance steps (of both male back-ups and female dancers) alongside innovative injections of high-wired instruments that produced ‘Syncro System’ (1977), Ariya Special (1981), Syncro Feelings (1983), Return of the Juju King (1987). I have had the pleasure of watching KSA in large concerts, private parties and public service ceremonies – the detailed remorseless attention to choreographed steps, synchronized movements and elements of drama in his stage performances remain constant. No show, it appears, is too small to warrant indolence or scant regard.

   It is in pursuit of excellent showmanship that KSA relentlessly searches for injections of melody-enhancers and mood-shakers to take his music to the next levels. Several times in his career, he has been reputed as the first Juju artiste to introduce the pedal-steel guitars, synthesizers, tenor guitar and the wa-wa guitar routines to traditional musical compositions.

TUFACE

My first contact with Tuface as a performing artiste was very disappointing. It was at a Kennis Music Concert held in the Motherlan' (Oregun, Lagos) sometime in 2005 or 2006. His debut had thrown him up as a huge promise worth investing one's time and resources upon - what with his energy-driven intense performance with The Plantation Boiz years earlier.

   Hopping around on the stage with a simple T-shirt carelessly draping his lanky body, with a pair of jean trousers, I think. The young fella with the adorable voice cut a picture of a novice trying excitedly to swallow a giant slice of cake. I remember writing an unusually avuncular article based on that uninspiring performance; advising him to work on his stagecraft, and develop a band that could carry all the nuances of his rhythms and lyrics, while devising a stage presence that will command repeater-attendees....

   Today, I can report that the young man, seven… eight years down the road, has evolved into a substantial entertainer; he has a band and a thriving label company to boot. Though, I doubt he can play any instrument with any level of dexterity, his repertoire of compositions and stage performances, given his lover-boy balladeer image, has drawn many young admirers to him; his stage attires have also slightly tipped higher towards the slant of the care-free generation soaked in expensive accessories.

INNOVATION:

KSA:

The affable King of World Beats (that funny expression of a white man's lack of understanding of a non-Western music composition) is nothing but a totem of innovation. Note his relentless addition to his performance and recording ensemble. Note his trailblazing duets and collaborations with Onyeka (Let Them Say, ‘86), great jazz performer, Manu Dibango (Wakafrika); American super soul singer, Stevie Wonder (Aura, 1984). Who can forget his sojourn to world domination in 1982 after Bob Marley's death? KSA took Nigerian music around the world, playing to international audiences across Europe, America, Asia, etc., on the platform provided by world-acclaimed Island Records and Chris Blackwell. KSA's innovations in the re-construction of a great musical ideology produced two Grammy nominations; soundtracks on American movies, Breathless (1983) headlined by Richard Gere (and a couple of others).  A patient overview of his huge repertoire reveals a restless spirit burdened with the gnawing desire to outflank himself (always) in the next work; and the next, and then the next.

 TUFACE

Blessed with a great voice and a huggable frame, Tuface Idibia commends himself well in the innovative spread of his music. His first two solo productions on the stable of Kenny Ogungbe's Kennis Music (Face 2 Face, 2004 and Grace 2 Grace; 2006) are the best advertisement of the young man's capacity to mesmerize and evoke instinctive romantic connections amongst his listeners. His well-stringed lyrics, the superb jauntiness of his delivery, and the near impeccable musical accompaniment have set standards of contemporary home-groomed R&B or Afropop or whatever is good, unhurried and meaningful music. In True Love, the rehash of One Love, 4 Instance, and the iconic African Queen; the singer stretches himself beyond personal limitations and embraces levels close to superstardom within the frontiers of his own generation. (We are still closely studying his fifth and latest offering, “Away & Beyond” - 2013).