Nigerian highlife duo The Cavemen unlock their second studio album, the highly anticipated Love and Highlife. The album features Cobhams Asuquo, Made Kuti, Etuk Obong, and PC Lapez.
Filled with a desire to make the kind of music that they grew up listening to, the band has taken a journey to bring the sounds of the past into the future, positioning themselves as a bridge between generations. The album consists of 18 harmonious records and it features Made Kuti, Cobhams Asuquo, Etuk Obong, and PC Lapez. The Cavemen are modern torch-bearers for highlife music, a sound with deep roots in the history of African music. They are proud to invite you into the cave for their sophomore album Love and Highlife, an expansive journey through the rich sound of highlife and a heartfelt offering from two of Nigeria’s brightest young talents. The track that opens this body of work is the Teach Me How To Love. Listening to this song one’s mind goes back to those days when you are in the classroom, and you are made to recite your timetable; That feeling is captured in this cute mixture of highlife beat and great lyrical delivery. Of course, it’s no news that this duo is different, but their different takes on a whole new direction just from the first track, super commendable. This body of work is indeed an invite into the cave of the Igbo culture and materials peculiar to them, as the track, New Pammy is super relatable.
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The scenario where pammy as a drink is drunk is well depicted in this unique piece. This track is depicted an Igbo man who tries to woo his love interest; of course, the moment a man starts to call you ‘asampete’, just know you have caught his eye for and in something. The title of this entire piece is well captured on this track. The first feature on Love and Highlife is on the track Biri with Made Kuti. This song captures what we can strictly Igbo. Most times Igbo language is one of the best languages that depicts the highlife energy effortlessly. Moving on to Kpokom featuring Etuk Ubong, here this song is more of beat and a resounding chorus that is repeated often. Another factor that makes The Cavemen stand out is their unique style, my gawd. Kpokom depends highly on the beat and instrumentation, and it actually came out nice. Tracks like The One, Selense, Stranger, and Ihunanya follow a sensational path where their theme mixes perfectly with the instrumentation, and focuses on their love interest. Brother’s Keeper, will surely get up on your feet and shaking your waist, no cap (lol). Nkari, Love and Trials takes us out of this world, and create that serene atmosphere where you want to be in the river and let the waves wash over you. Love is indeed a prominent factor in this entire piece. Ugo, Azana feature PC Lapez, delivers that amazing chimmey feeling that only the idiophone can give you.
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Were Kwushin featuring Cobhams Asuquo highlights the struggles of man and the battle he fights when it comes to fate. Tracks like Udo, Dance Like Gravy, take on that slow melodious path that makes you sit and savory the feel of what you are hearing. From the beginning to the end, the theme of this entire body of work was not ignored or left out, just beautiful. This beautiful piece comes to an end with Alright With Mama, and the bonus track Good People. This 18-track piece is a full pack of highlife in overdoes.
Final Thoughts
This body of work gets a 6/10 because, it is not easy delving into a path that is not followed by many, and being able to carve a niche for yourself that many would want to emulate is just commendable. We look and hope more of this melodious beauty from The Cavemen.
Listen to the album here;
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