Tings An' Times

Tings An' Times is heartfelt and satisfying. Never one to cater to pop sensibilities, Johnson is uncompromising and angrily socio-political. Uniting African-style singing and chanting with elements of rock, jazz, and soul, this album is a fascinating listen that will remind westerners of the progressive American music of the '60s and early '70s. But his outlook is intensely African, and his socio-political lyrics (some in English, some in an African language) are a passionate call for democracy in Africa, where repressive Nigerian regimes regularly attacked him. (In fact, many of these recordings were made not long before a military regime in Nigeria sentenced Johnson's fellow African music pioneer Fela Kuti to five years in prison on a questionable smuggling charge, only two of which he served.) This is music that, for all its spontaneity, has a definite sense of purpose.