Cali P & TEKA ft Stonebwoy & Seun Kuti – Rise Up & Shine – Review

April 14, 2020

Cali P x TEKA: Rise Up & Shine (feat. Stonebwoy and Seun Kuti) Single Review – Steve Topple for Pauzeradio.com.

2019 saw many ingenious releases across the spectrum of Roots-derived music. Not least among these were Cali P x TEKA with their two groundbreaking EPs, Vizion I and Vizion II. Now, in 2020 they’re back with the first cut off instalment three. And that ground is still being broken.

Rise Up & Shine, released via LowLow Records, sees the pair team up with global superstar Stonebwoy and member of music royalty Seun Kuti. It marks a forward movement from the Trap/Drill-led overtones of Vizion I and II, heading into (you’d suspect) Afrobeats territory. But with this duo nothing is ever that straightforward.

Naturally, little needs to be said about TEKA’s production. He is always first-class and is on top of his game in this instance. His delicate hand has produced another unique sound, which is thoroughly enhanced by the composition and performances.

Rise Up & Shine opens with some distinctly Calypso electric guitars. But the chord progressions (focusing on the fourth and minor seventh of the root) are at odds with this genre, being more Afrobeats and Roots. This ambiguity sets the tone for the rest of the track.

The bass arrangement is fascinating, constructed around an eight-bar riff. It skips the first beat on bars one, three, five and seven, performing a more syncopated duty on the others. But at times it mimics the snare drum rhythm – a device more at home in Soca.

The rest of the drums, meanwhile, are an intentionally scattergun affair. The kick cannot make up its mind whether its at home on the down or upbeats, flexing between elements of a Roots one drop and Afrobeats stuttering. This is also reflected by the hi-hats, which tend to focus on the offbeats. And the inclusion of a balafon, which runs and riffs delicately in the background, takes Rise Up & Shine back to Afrobeats territory. The whole arrangement is another exercise in subtle yet effective genre-smashing from LowLow.

The stripped away backing vocals merely serve to add some harmony to the main vocal line. And the composition of the melody is, as always from Cali P x TEKA, a masterstroke. Instantly memorable, its working from the sixth of the root down to it, accompanied with a beamed yet unfussy rhythmic pattern, gives that anthemic feel. And the seasoned artists make the most of it.

Kuti has a deliciously rich and rounded voice, which offsets well against Cali P’s more sharp, nasal and accented timbre. The pair are a joy to hear side by side, and compliment each other well. Add Stonebwoy’s exceptionally unique delivery, using his skill for varying intonation and deft syllable phrasing, and you have a trio which seems made for each other. And it would be remiss not to hat-tip Cali P’s father, making a guest appearance on the shakers.

Rise Up & Shine is yet another deep dive into rarely charted musical territory from Cali P x TEKA. The skilful combination of Soca, Afrobeats and Roots is a joy to hear – and sets the bar very high for the forthcoming Vizion III. Lovely works.