The late father, Fela Kuti, invented Afrobeat, and now another one of his sons aims to take that infectious sound and move it to the next level. Using his elder's band, Egypt 80, Seun Kuti is on fire, the kind of front man that is born to become a rapturous force himself. It takes one song to hear that kind of greatness, and this debut album--along with a show that needs to be seen to be believed--feels like a revival meeting from the other side of the world that has arrived to save us all.

At one point in time, Heybale could have been called a super-group of sorts. Pianist Earl Poole Ball has worked with Johnny Cash, Buck Owens, Gram Parsons and played on The Byrd's seminal Sweetheart Of The Rodeo album. Lead guitarist Redd Volkaert spent six years in Merle Haggard's band, while bassist Kevin Smith tours with Dwight Yoakam, and drummer Tom Lewis performs with Raul Malo. That leaves lead singer Gary Claxton, who is really the true shining star in the band.