The sticker affixed to the front of Tony Allen's new album says it all, really. "Perhaps the greatest drummer ever," reads a quote from Brian Eno; "Without Tony Allen, there'd be no Afrobeat," reads a quote from the late Fela Kuti. And then there's the cover of the album proper, which features the matter-of-fact sub-tag "another one from the underground sensation." Yet despite all the falir, it's that last one-- "underground sensation" that stings, and really rings true. Allen has never crossed over and become a name of wide renown, and oddly his Nonesuch debut could give the drummer his widest platform to date. Yet Secret Agent is only the latest step of a creative continuum set in motion over 40 years ago, beginning with Allen's pioneering and prolific work in Fela Kuti's band through his years as a solo act and bandleader and even, a few years back, as a quiet but important component of Damon Albarn's the Good, the Bad & the Queen project.
"Another one from the underground sensation" both sums up Secret Agent and sells Allen a little short. After all, Allen's particular genius has been his ability to lie just behind the beat, pushing and pulling the song without calling too much attention to himself. But just because he flies below the radar hardly makes him a blip. Even on an Allen solo record, this holds true. Secret frequently directs your attention to the song's component parts-- the backing brass, Cameroonian guitarist Claude Dibongue's jazzy licks, Rody Cereyon's funky bass on tracks like "Ijo" or "Ayenlo". (Those two feature R&B-like vocals from Orobiyi Adunni, one of several guest singers; Allen himself grumbles lead on the title track and album closer "Elewon Po".) In fact, it's so easy to get lost in these elements that Allen almost blends into the background, camouflaged, his cymbal pings, rolls, and ghost strokes like rivets holding the whole construct together.
Granted, Secret Agent doesn't represent Afrobeat at its most fiery, but it does represent Allen (nearing 70) continuing his late career high, mellow in the way he swings songs like "Busybody" or "Pariwo" (the latter surprisingly strident nonetheless despite its gentle, accordion-laden gait) but never more confident. Leave it to Fela scions Seun and Femi (among other aspirants to the Afrobeat throne) to swagger like they've got something to prove. But Tony Allen? Allen as always lies back and waits for you to come to him.
