Femi Temowo’s album launch felt like a party, a celebration of him and his musical life that had built to this album and this colourful evening.

Joined by Troy Miller on drums and Karl Rasheed Abel on bass, they form a balanced and soulful unit on the left hand of the stage as the evening opened with the first ever original track Femi wrote when he decided to really go for it.

The left hand of the stage is occupied by members of the suitably-named Engines Orchestra who are whirring along quite beautifully in everything they do. This is a rather special development in Femi’s latest work which seamlessly incorporates this more orchestral vibe into the mix of new album, The Music is the Feeling. The interplay between band and orchestra is rich — like two very different but brilliant friends hitting it off at a party. This is particularly evident in ‘Fela On Enugu Radio’, Femi’s tribute to inspirational Fela Kuti and ‘Abeg Jare’ (‘Never you mind!’) where the spotlight falls on Phil Meadows then to Femi in a moment of sublime metaphorical balance.

As if all this wasn’t enough, Femi sent us out into the street humming a melody he promised would always get you out of trouble. If you’re curious about this level of Jedi-like melody writing, get into ‘Eye Iwò‘ and let him know the results.

Listen to and get your copy of The Music is the Feeling on bandcamp.