JUNE 18, 2010
Video Selecter: Angelique Kidjo
Yet Another World Cup Antherm - But This One's Actually Pretty Good!
by Tom PryorEach week Nat Geo Music scours the far corners of the interwebs to bring you the coolest new music videos from around the globe.
Last week we took a look at two of the official videos for this year's World Cup in South Africa, and this week we've got one more, this time from Benin's diminutive diva Angelique Kidjo.
And despite the fact that she's joined here by the ubiquitous Bono (how does he keep managing to insert himself into the African musical discourse anyway?), she's also joined by John Legend and the extraordinary Bill T. Jones dancers, fresh from Broadway and the set of the FELA! musical.
Best of all, the song isn't some anodyne, written-by-committee corporate anthem (I'm looking at you, Shakira), but a new take on a genuine soul classic by the legendary Curtis Mayfield. While the song is taken from Kidjo's most recent album, Oyo (Razor and Tie), released this march, the video was shot and released to coincide with her performance at the opening concert for this year's world cup - and Mayfield's venerable, hopeful civil rights anthem is a perfect retrofit to express what the first African world cup is all about.
Even Bono can't ruin it.
Enjoy!