82 (album)

82
Studio album by
ReleasedOctober 2, 2009 (Kenya)
Recorded2008–2009
GenreHouse, disco, hip hop, electronica
Length55:59
ProducerJust a Band
Just a Band chronology
Scratch to Reveal
(2008)
82
(2009)
Sorry for the Delay
(2012)

82 is the second studio album by the Kenyan house/funk trio Just a Band, released in 2009 following their debut release Scratch to Reveal. Just A Band signed a US licensing deal with Akwaaba Music, who re-released 82 on February 23, 2010.[1]

Album information

[edit]

Just a Band released the music video for the first single from the album, "Usinibore" on July 4, 2009. The video – created by the band themselves – helped land the single in the We Are Hunted charts, peaking at number three on November 11, 2009.

82 was released on October 2, 2009, at a pre-launch release party.[2] Compared with the trio's previous release, Scratch to Reveal, 82 is 12 minutes, 9 seconds longer and contains 13 tracks and 1 hidden track. The playlist features fewer guest artists (Bien Baraza, Juliani and Wambura Mitaru), and the trio have undertaken greater singing roles themselves.[3]

Ha-He

[edit]

The band released the video for their second single from the album "Ha-He" on Wednesday 17 March 2010. The video is a spoof of blaxploitation films, featuring a protagonist named "Makmende". The video subsequently became popular, and has been described as "Kenya’s first viral internet meme".[4] The band were featured on CNN, The Wall Street Journal and Fast Company as a result.[5]

Reception

[edit]

Reviews for the album were strongly positive; Exclaim! described it as resplendent in its cool tones and chilled vocals and very distinctive, regardless of its origin,[6] and The Huffington Post described the album as the sign of a generational shift.[7]

Track listing

[edit]
No.TitleLength
1."Save My Soul"3:41
2."Ha-He"3:56
3."Extra"4:08
4."Kaa Ridho"3:52
5."Migingo Express"3:32
6."Usinibore"4:12
7."Sunrise"4:52
8."Huff + Puff"3:55
9."Uko Mbele"4:37
10."Forever People"4:41
11."Stay"3:40
12."BoogieDeeBweet"4:16
13."Tingiza Kichwa/Where Do You Come From" (hidden)6:39

Personnel

[edit]

Just a Band

[edit]
Just a Band Vocals, Instrumentation
Juliani Vocals
Wambura Mitaru Vocals
Bien Baraza Vocals
Njoki Ngumi Vocals
Tina Nduba Vocals

Production

[edit]
Executive producers Just a Band
Mixing Just A Band, Eric Musyoka
Instrumentation Just A Band, David Gitoho, Eric Musyoka
Album Art/Package Design Jim Chuchu
[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Lebrave, Benjamin. "Fresh from Nairobi: Just A Band". Akwaaba Media. Archived from the original on 29 March 2010. Retrieved 2010-04-01.
  2. ^ Koech, Christine. "Just A Band Album Pre-launch". East Africa Magazines. Archived from the original on 9 October 2009. Retrieved 2009-10-09.
  3. ^ Kebuchi, Francis. "Just A Band speaks on their new album 82 and more!". Kenya Christian. Retrieved 2009-10-09.
  4. ^ Zuckerman, Ethan. "Makmende's so huge, he can't fit in Wikipedia". Zuckerman, Ethan. Archived from the original on 27 March 2010. Retrieved 2010-04-01.
  5. ^ Vinograd, Cassandra (2010-03-24). "Kenya Launches Country's First Viral Music Video". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on 2 April 2010. Retrieved 2010-04-01.
  6. ^ Dacks, David. "Just A Band – 82". Exclaim! Media Inc. Archived from the original on 2013-09-23. Retrieved 2010-06-08.
  7. ^ Russell, Lars (2010-05-24). "Viral "Makmende" Signals Shift in African Music as Twitter Generation Takes Lead". HuffingtonPost.com Inc. Archived from the original on 31 May 2010. Retrieved 2010-06-08.