Yours truly got to know Nigerian singer-songwriter Kuku thanks to 'Buy Africa', a duet with Baloji on the 'Red Hot + Fela' compilation, and on 'Film Of Life', the most recent long player by Tony Allen, he also made an appearance. On 'Ballads & Blasphemy, The Areligious Gospel Of Adebola Kuku', Kuku's fourth long player to date, Allen repays the favor by playing drums on two tracks. As for the title of the album, Kuku refers to a quote by author George Bernard Shaw: "All great truths begin as blasphemies!" and with songs in which he warns for false prophets ('Open Your Eyes While You Pray'), expresses his disgust for forced marriages ('Wáya') or condemns the idolatry of money we've all seem to have fallen prey to ('Owó') -alternating between English, Yoruba, Pidgin English and French - 'Ballads & Blasphemy' can be conceived as Kuku's musical reckoning with religion and authority and the dogmas they like to uphold.