Album review: Sons Of Kemet - Your Queen Is A Reptile

If you enjoyed SOK's previous releases (2013's Burn and 2015's Lest We Forget What We Came Here To Do) you won't be disappointed in this latest offering. We're in what is by now familiar territory here: two drummers pounding out polyrhythms, Theon Cross's tuba puffing some pretty wild bass lines and Hutchings's tenor ripping stacato riffs - a prevalence of rhythm over melody, but none the worse for that.

And this isn't 'just' more of the same. Hutchings mixes things up a little by subbing Moses Boyd, Eddie Hick for the usual Rochford/Skinner pairing, and adding Maxwell Hallet for the final tune here. Unless you're a connoisseur of the drum-kit, you might well be thinking, "So what?" at this point and, in truth, it's a subtle change of mood rather than a revolutionary overhaul. 

More to the point though, we get guest appearances from Pete Wareham and Nubya Garcia, providing a nice counterpoint to Hutchings on a couple of tunes, and the added vocals of Congo Natty and Joshua Idehen on three.

The album represents Hutchings's presentation of an alternative, merit-based monarchy of some well-known and less-well-known black women, ranging from the composer's grandma to historical figures like Yaa Asantewaa. (To my shame, and that of the history curriculum, I had to Google her.) 

The sleeve notes elaborate the theme, in case anyone had missed the point. 

So more of the same? Yes and no. Hardly a radical departure, but exciting stuff as always from SOK, and well worth checking out. 

I've somehow not yet caught a live performance (need to fix that sharpish) so I'll have to content myself with this video of SOK performing My Queen Is Doreen Lawrence. Amen to that.