What Dele Sosimi gained from being part of Fela Kuti’s Egypt 80 is paramount to the groove of The Confluence LP. Collaborations with Sam Duckworth on this latest studio effort, an Afrobeat and saxophone-laden spectacle, are the additional layers of warmth needed to what sounds like the free-flowing studio brilliance Sosimi so consistently provides. His sweet flourishes heard throughout this fifth album of solo originals are delightful. Jazz and soul-filled experiences worthy of listen after listen. An album which holds individuality and the creative flow above all else. It is this driving force, the implication of a pooled series of influences and innovations leading to new and boundary-pushing sound, that keeps The Confluence LP tight.
The Yoruba-titled Mo Ṣe B’ọ́lá Tán is one of many highlights found on The Confluence LP. A chance to explore why Sosimi continues to work soon follows. Why any artist continues to work, really. “For the love of it,” he repeats in the aptly titled For the Love of It. All that is needed to mount a continued musical desire is passion. It guides most but few to this level of quality. In repetition, there is joy. For Orí Mi it means exploring faith and the divine. The Confluence LP uses its jazzier moments to explain a faux patience. You Don’t Have To has the patience of a saint for a caricature of someone who ran out of goodwill some time ago. But it is in this acceptance and continued appreciation for the annoyances, the trivial pockets of life, that Sosimi finds some rare beauty.
Not every track has to be this deeply moved and knowledge-imparting piece of work. The Confluence LP works just as well as an album for the sweet joys of the everyday. For the background music to the mundane. Cleaning the dishes and attending to the odd jobs of the day never felt as good as it did when E Si M’èdò is booming through the speakers. The Rumblings has the same effect. An incredible burst of instrumental excess, the joys of Afrobeat right at the heart of every song, explored with such brilliance on this track particularly. The Confluence LP is a remarkable experience because of its hearty intentions, its slick instrumentals and its commitment to exercising these genre fundamentals.
Sosimi and The Estuary 21 benefit tremendously from the cool appeal of their sound. Constantly impressive and crucially assured by what it is doing, how it is creating this energetic appeal, makes for a sincere and impressive set of songs. Performances which carry the weight of the heart heard throughout them but leave room for the liberating thrills of instrumental freedom, the sense of intensity which comes from the plentiful instrumental layering is hard to argue with. Relinquish any feelings of doubt and dive headfirst into those percussion-led highs. Our desire to hear the stories of life, no matter how buried they may be, is a charming conclusion for The Confluence LP. A real high to finish on with the aptly titled Stories in an album full of them. Tales from the past and present with such an urgency and thrill to them.
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