Bleep

Shabaka Hutchings and company strike gold on their third LP. Even for a group as vivacious as Sons Of Kemet, the band have rarely sounded as fired-up as they do on Your Queen Is A Reptile. Tracks such as ‘My Queen Is Harriet Tubman’ and ‘My Queen Is Albertina Sisulu’ are electric. The combination of dual-drums and tuba is simultaneously busy and spacious, providing the perfect backing for Hutchings’ quicksilver saxophone. There are shades of Hutchings’ work in Melt Yourself Down here, but also a rich seam of Caribbean influence that gives fresh impetus to the grooves. Entries like ‘My Queen Is Nanny Of The Maroons’ prove the group’s style also works at quieter volumes.