Usually on the Sweet Smoke, I mix up the musical flavors, but I am so exited that The Budos Band is going to play this coming Sunday, February 18th, at Moe's Alley in Santa Cruz, I just had to dedicate a second show to Afro-beat and African flavored funk. Tonight's show is part 2, continuing from last week. Afro-Beat is alive and well thanks to groups like The Budos Band, Antibalas Afrobeat Orchestra, The Quantic Soul Orchestra, and others. The Budos Band manages to pay homage to Fela Kuti, and other Afro-Funk pioneers while at the same time drawing a direct line to the hard funk of James Brown and his disciples. Their unique African funk take of Sly Stone's "Sing A Simple Song" proves that the roots of soul & funk are still alive, and that there are fresh angles to even the most familiar soul sounds.

Monkey See, Monkey Do - The Budos Band (Daptone)
Ololufe Mi - Koola Lobitos (Afro Strut)
Telephone Girl - Assagai (Vertigo)
African Rhythms - Oneness Of Juju (Black Fire)
If It Ain't Broke...Break It - The Limp Twins (Tru Thoughts)
Yakuba - The Whitfield Brothers (Soul Fire)
Gentlemen - Fela Kuti (EMI)
Mama - Hugh Masekela (Verve)
N.E.S.T.A. 75 - Antibalas Afrobeat Orchestra (Ninja Tune)
King Charles - The Budos Band (Daptone)
Mondo Soul Funky - Ebo Taylor, Jr. (Soundway)
Don't Think...Do - Bama & The Family (Soul Fire)
T.I.B.W.F. - The Budos Band (Daptone)
Moira - Poets Of Rhythm (Quannum)
Asse - Afrodiz (Freestyle)
Sing A Simple Song - The Budos Band (Daptone)
Ere Mela Mela - Mahmoud Ahmed (Buda Musique)
Netsanet - Mulatu Astatke (Harmless)
Cocoa - Assagai (Vertigo)
Ghost Walk - The Budos Band (Daptone)
Go Slow - Fela Kuti (Jofabro)
Mulatu - Mulatu Astatke (Worthy)
Psychedelic Woman - Honny & The Bees Band (Soundway)