UK-based Nigerian gospel artist, Olanrewaju Muyiwa, says his first all-African album ‘Eko Ile’ will be out on October 30.
The United Kingdom’s most prolific gospel artist noted that a UK tour announcement would follow the release of the dynamic 10-track album.
‘Eko Ile’ follows the success of Live at the Apollo (2012), the live CD and DVD recorded at his sold-out Hammersmith Apollo show with Riversongz, his charismatic Afro-gospel band.
Muyiwa explained in a statement that ‘Eko Ile’ is a return to his roots translating to ‘Lagos my home’ which harks to a Nigerian folk song of the same name. Muyiwa channels a myriad of African music styles via gospel.
“Written alongside Kwame Yeboah (Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, Ms. Dynamite) and Eddie Martin (Whitney Houston, Neyo, Chris Brown) and produced by the former, the album is a journey from east to west of the continent, stopping off at high-life reminiscent of fellow countryman Fela Kuti, refreshed takes on traditional African praise, and African reggae,” he said in the statement.
“It makes sense then, that the album was predominantly recorded in Ghana, that it frequently features Muyiwa’s native Nigerian tongue of Yoruba and that it’s peppered with Swahili, Zulu, and Pidgin English.”