'The Lightning Feather' by TwoManTing

While it's always a huge pleasure listening to TwoManTing, I'd also say that it can be an education too as I end up scuttling off to check out music I'd not heard of before when they introduce it to me.

Years ago, apart from the NME & John Peel (and my peer group), one area of musical education was the tapes certain artists played before their sets: they had a similar effect. Two of the best in this regard were Elvis Costello and The Clash which is a neat way of starting my review of the new TwoManTing album ‘The Lightning Feather' since they are continuing their characteristic of featuring Clash related covers: in this case Danny Ray's "Revolution Rock" which is on ‘London Calling' (you can hear their versions of "Guns of Brixton" and "Armagideon Time" on ‘Say What?' and ‘Legacy' respectively).

And the righteous thirst for justice & global equality cannot be underestimated in this duo: don't be completely beguiled by the seductive rhythms and scintillating guitar runs: Jah-Man and Jon care deeply and this is the core of their appeal. This is not an agreeable combo for the corner of your local wine bar to provide a sound track to a hipster's night out: this is for real. No wonder they get invited to all the best festivals (in fact you can catch them at this year's Leamington Peace Festival: what a great fit).

I'm afraid, despite all the various labels that online platforms attach to them, I can't improve on "World" since they roam unfettered across it. Of course there is African music on here & naturally Caribbean but I've literally never come across any of those very many World Music compilations which includes a Welsh themed track ("Tan Y Bwlch") alongside more exotic sources. There is also the delightful  "Tinap Gidigbh" (which after some research I'm tentatively identifying as Yoruba in its roots) and that's simply the start of a circumnavigation. ‘We are all one world" they are saying, with breathtaking diversity within this, but which does not at all mean there is not, and should not be, parity & equality of mutual esteem.

They play these songs with love as well as dedication to cultural fidelity and the concept of love keeps on surfacing in the words: I guess one might write a book about cultural appropriation (and of course plenty have) and it must be a tightrope for sensitive artists to walk. Insensitive artists just rip the cultures off & profit. However they do tend to write songs using stolen music which appeal to Western commercial instincts. TwoManTing's songs instead celebrate the cultures in question: quite explicitly in fact as the words as well as the sounds reference.

Actually, you may have heard two of them before as "Gbangbaode" and a cover of Peter Tosh's "Can't Blame the Youth" were released as a single back in 2020: but that was in the middle of lockdown so you can be forgiven if you were a bit distracted at the time. We did review it of course.

Apart from the two covers mentioned above, there is a third, "Cost of Living", originally by Ebenezer Calender and His Maringer Band (West African calypso!) which again had me taking an agreeable wander online. Thank you.

Otherwise the other eight songs are originals, including an instrumental, "Tune for Kev"  which is an exquisite solo piece which sits astride classical & jazz & I'd guess is a tribute to a specific person…a most moving one.

Played through, the songs segue seamlessly into one another (nice sequencing work) and could I suppose be taken as one whole piece made up of varying movements. Personally I enjoyed each one & I have no desire nor capacity to pick "favourites". However my main concern is people will take the embracing & soulful sound at surface value (yes, that has been the fate of far too much "World Music") and not take onboard what TwoManTing mean, intend and are saying. To the shallow listener, I'll therefore like to draw attention to the album's title: an object of softness containing something of great potency and vitality.