Angelique Kidjo collaborates with Alicia Keys

The song, a remix of a song by American band Talking Heads, was first covered by Kidjo in 2017's version of the band's acclaimed 1980 album Remain in Light.

The Beninese performer's reworking of that album has earned plaudits from western critics, and now the singer has been backed by Amazon Music. Her new version of 'The Great Curve' has Alicia Keys on vocals, Questlove on drums and Blood Orange on guitar. Antibalas supply the horns and Kidjo’s regular collaborator, Dominic James, is also on the guitar.

Kidjo's first take on the 'The Great Curve' came with a request made online. "Do you want to be a part of my next music video, a Tribute to Mother Earth?" she said. "Film yourself dancing to ‘The Great Curve’ from the Remain in Light album and post your video with the hashtag #thegreatcurvevideo." Many listeners responded and Kidjo shared the results. 

The remix is not the first time Kidjo has worked with Keys or with an artist grounded in the US. Keys and Kidjo performed at the 2009 Mandela Day celebration in New York and sang together at a Keep a Child Alive event in 2016. Keys was also a guest on the title track of Kidjo's 2007 album Djin Djin. American producer Jeff Bhasker, who was named Best Producer at the 2015 Grammys, worked on Remain in Light.

Kidjo has also traced the origins of her long music career to American singer Aretha Franklin who died recently. "Aretha: you're the reason why I'm a singer today," she posted online after Franklin's death. "When Amazing Grace came out, it was the first time I saw a black woman on an album cover. Aretha is sitting on the steps of a church, in front of an open doorway, and she’s wearing a beautiful African dress the color of burnt sienna lined in pink.

"Just seeing an American singer wearing an African dress had a huge impact on me. She’s looking right at the camera, giving a soft smile, and her eyes, they are so serene. Everything about the photo – the stairs leading to the open door, her open arms – suggests pathways and possibilities."

Although the album has been available digitally for some time, the physical copy of Kidjo's Remain in Light will be released on 28 September. A day before its release, Kidjo will be in New York, where she will perform at Central Park’s Summer Stage. Her appearance at SummerStage is part of a tour that will take her to venues in Europe and has already seen her perform in Los Angeles, London, Chicago and Washington, DC. 

To listen to Angelique Kidjo's 'The Great Curve' featuring Alicia Keys, see here.