82 (album)

82
Studio album by Just a Band
Released October 2, 2009 (Kenya)
Recorded 2008–2009
Genre House, Disco, Hip hop, Electronica
Length 55:59
Producer Just 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

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

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

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

No. Title Length
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

Just a Band

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

Production

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

External links

References

  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. 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.