Babatundi Olatunji - Love Drum Talk

The 1998 edition of Babatunde Olatunji's "Drums of Passion" series focuses on themes of "love." He mixes the traditional drums of west Africa with an easygoing blend of highlife, pop and jazz. Don't expect any lyrical revelations though, with words as philosophical as any thing you've heard from The Spice Girls or The Beach Boys. But that is probably not the point here, as the album rolls through its lightweight themes with a luscious tropi-pop attitude. This is certainly not one for fans of rootsy African drumming, but if you like highlife and Afro-pop with a romantic twist, Love Drum Talk will speak to you. --Louis Gibson Amazon.com

Dont quite know what to call it but...

Yo Yo Yo this is a CD that is just sssssssssssssoooooooooooooo good to feel.
Did I say feel?
Yeah, it is.

You can "listen" to it all you want to, but I think that the way to really dig it is to approach it in a much more earthy way -

f e e l the music.

Let it get under your skin and have it's way with you.[it will!]

This album is playful like a kitten.
It will bat the string ball around the house all day with you.

Spend time with this album.
Give it the attention it requires -- form a relationship with it.

When I first picked it up, I wound up taking it camping with me.
I went out into the woods by myself and with my Disc Walkman and a pair of battery powered speakers.
I jammed this all weekend.
I can't even describe the place in my heart "Love Drum Talk" has - lets just say that this is very special to me.

Only buy this if you are willing and able to get deep with drum music that is so much more than drum music.
This is captivating! April 9, 2008

good god almighty!!!

It's bluesy, sexy-earthy all about love at the heart of a drum. If i could i would dance to this all day long, for go clean clothes, food and clean bathrooms and live on air and drum. July 15, 2006

A Cure for Road Rage

After renewing Love Drum Talk from the library four times in three months, I broke down and ordered it today. Two songs -- Spell Monisola and Long Distance Lover -- sustained me on a five-hour car trip and put me into a dance-trance. The four-year-old grandchild was singing along in her car seat. Our gluteal muscles, lungs, and vocal cords got a terrific workout. While stopped in traffic, I mastered several drumming patterns on the steering wheel. Fortunately it was snowing and we had to keep going, or I would have pulled the car over and danced on the highway. Babatunde Olatunji contributes to the possibility for joy in life, and brother, do we need him. March 4, 2004

Stunning in both performance and recorded quality!

This is just a really fun recording! The first time through, be mindful of the volume knob on your stereo. Some of the drum beats might shoot you clean out of the house! What I mean is, it's dynamic as can be, with a very real sense of the performance taking place right in your room. I guess my review is just as much about the musical presence that Babatundi visits upon us as the care and effort with which Chesky Records used in the recording of this great musician.
I can't help but feel uplifted when I play this CD! November 12, 2002

Babatunde lives in my heart

Anyone remotely interested in percussions and rhythm with vocals will be floored by this album just like i was. I have owned this cd for over two years and there isnt a day that goes by that i dont listen to it. Babatunde is a idol for myself and anyone that i know who has ever laid a hand on an african drum, he inspires me and this album makes my heart sing. The best parts of most song on this album are deep into them when they pick up and twist different rhythms which are complimented by vocals. Long live babatunde and the path of rhythm he has shown me. February 17, 2000

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