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New Revolution - Chapter One on CD

Baad John Cross's New Revolution is a Afro-electro-funk-boogie-disco banger that could only come from 1980s Nigeria. Bright, optimistic, with an unrelenting eye on the dance floor, it is regarded by many as a prototype of the electro rhythms that would become the signature sound of Nigerian boogie. A Cameroonian by birth, Cross arrived in Lagos a cheeky smile, a pair of white dungarees and a bag full of songs. After proving his chops with uncredited session work, he signed with the legendary Coconut label, hooked up with producer Modjo Isidore and created a stone cold boogie classic in New Revolution. 'Gimme Some Lovin' and 'Get Up And Dance Salsa' (briefly a dance craze in Lagos, apparently) are dance floor classics, 'Jeanie My Love' the obligatory love ballad and 'We Need Freedom' a Marleyesque call for peace across the continent. The real surprise is 'Rock n Roll Birthday', a rockabilly number straight out of 80's London. (The cover photo has a similar vibe.) Sadly, New Revolution was to be Baad John Cross's only album. He was soon back in Cameroon, eking out a career as a session musician, but not before creating one of the freshest Nigerian boogie albums ever made. - Peter Moore