Exploring Identity Through Sound: Jamiroquai Percussionist Sola Akingbola Releases Soulful Jazz Album ‘How Should I’

London’s musician Sola Akingbola has been creating music that has transcended from Nigeria all the way to the UK home of London since the 1990s. Joined by a Grammy award-winning band Jamiroquai as the percussionist and composer to the CBS hit sitcom Bob Hearts Abishola, the East End-born artist has made quite a name as a remarkable songwriter and global performer. While his name may not be familiar to those outside the UK, Sola Akingbola has been shaping and influencing cultures from all over the world with the release of his fifth album ‘How Should I’, with Sola Akingbola ;The Eegun Rhapsodies, on 25/10/24, and its single ‘Touch My Soul’ on 04/10/24. The project presents a beautiful interpretation of unique combinations of cultures with its energetic troop of Yoruba-influenced musicians, making jazz music sound and look like an art form from the heavens. Sola may have a great talent for entertaining, but his skills in songwriting are something that should be talked about by all audiences that love jazz music. 

The eleven tracks on the album are Sola’s greatest work to date. It combines his love for Greek classics, and the poetry and music of the Yorubas, a tribe from southwestern Nigeria, bringing forth a gorgeous rendition of Yoruba culture, from a UK perspective, on the world stage. These tracks range from the upbeat and percussion-driven ‘Olukumi’, which has a music video shot at the Abbey Road Studios, to the contemplative ‘My Brother’s Keeper’, each song showcasing confidence in himself as a composer and musician. This album allows Sola to make his mark as an artist that creates music that sounds as though he was singing straight to you. ‘How Should I’, was composed back in 2016 for the prestigious Royal Shakespeare Company’s production of Hamlet, but this time it features the vocal talents of Olivier Award-winning actor Sheila Atim (The Woman King, Barry Jenkin’s The Underground Railroad, and Donmar Warehouse’s all-female Shakespeare Trilogy). This has probably been named Sola’s most remarkable work as he combines his Nigerian heritage and British upbringing into a beautiful piece of work that displays the fusion of cultures. His vision was to create a bridge between the two, and he has done just that with ‘How Should I.’ The album will be released in two parts, with part two dropping in the Spring of 2025, with the first part consisting of six masterful tracks which reflect on Sides A/B on the double album vinyl.

Sola Akingbola proves to be a multi-talented artist as he recently received the best Film and TV Score BMI Award for the second year running for his work on Bob Hearts Abishola, a show that consistently receives over 5 million viewers every season. In between his work with Jamiroquai, Sola has also been writing scores for theatre, including the Royal Shakespeare Company’s performance of Othello in 2023. It’s breathtaking how far Sola has come with his work, from performing at some of the most significant festivals worldwide, such as the likes of Stevie Wonder, The Rolling Stones, and the late musician David Bowie. Now with his second studio album ‘How Should I,’ Sola takes center stage once again, inviting audiences to listen to his masterpiece upon its release on all music platforms on 25/10/2024. It’s an album that jazz lovers will surely appreciate and cannot miss.