Sola Akingbola's Critical Mass

Every so often an album commands our attention and respect. Sola Akingbola's solo debut is a prime example. The Nigerian born percussionist's main gig is with the chart topping globe trotting UK dance band Jamiroquai,but he found the time to make a traditional Yoruba drumming- inspired album with the help of a talented stable of musicians. Akingbola writes and plays with exceptional depth and emotion-he composed,arranged and produced most of the 11 songs here with instrumentation that mostly consists of hand drums,percussion and vocals. Tracks such as " Ninu Opon Ori Tiwa" and "Kulumbu Yeye" show not only his ensemble's nimble musicianship, but equally important,his song writing
artistry. Simply put,every track on this disk is a stand out,even if some of them are vignettes of three minutes or less. The more you listen,the more you hear,making Routes to Roots truely an aural expedition worth exploring many times over. - Global Rhythms Mag

Nigerian born but London raised, Sola digs into his Yoruba roots and has come up with some worth while material reflecting an interest in Yoruba Poetry and religion.
Sola is no mean singer either. He heads a small group of fellow drummers on most tracks and keeps it fairly simple but effective.
This combination of skill and religious interest... has the potential to appeal on several fronts. - Froots Magazine UK

Sola Akingbola has been seasoning the sound of the UK jazzfunk band Jamiroquai for a long time, but it's the drumming traditions of his native land that stir the pot on Routes to Roots:
Yoruba drums from Nigeria. An intricate mesh of talking drums,bata,sakara and small percussion builds or arrives full throttle in each track,often accompanied by vocals (in praise of the Orisha pantheon) and always providing polyrhythmic thrills that are never too busy or cluttered. A lot of this is rooted in the apala music of the Nigerian Muslim communities,while some of the smoother passages are only a couple of guitars away from being juju. Still,the sounds have their own sort of sophistication,with interplay between the individual instruments constructing elaborate work outs that will thrill both percussion lovers and fans of African music cut to the core. Jamiroquai can continue to be Akingbola's bread and butter so long as he also takes the occassional break to make disks as good as this. - World Music Central