Steve Monite: Only You [SOUNDWAY RECORDS]

Why you'll love it

Soundway's official reissue is restored and remastered, with a printed inner sleeve, liner notes and an interview with Monite. Frank Ocean covered "Only You" live at FYF Fest in 2017, with Alex G's band behind him.

This edition

• Remastered
• Printed inner sleeve
• Liner notes and artist interview
• Lyrics included

About the album

Some records take the scenic route to fame. Recorded and mixed at EMI's studios on Oregun Road in Lagos and produced by Chief Tony Okoroji, Only You was Steve Monite's one album, a sleek, synth-laced slice of Afro-boogie that faded from view after its 1984 run on EMI Nigeria and then, decades later, became one of the most sought-after Nigerian records of the era.

The title track is the jewel, a dreamy, melancholy groove with space-age effects bubbling around Monite's voice, and it turns up again on side B as a stretched-out "Disco Jam." "Things Fall Apart" takes its name from Chinua Achebe's 1958 novel and also appears in two versions, while "I Had a Dream" and "Welcome My Love" round out a set critics have praised for its melodic darkness and inventive instrumentation.

Theophilus London covered "Only You" with Tame Impala in 2018, and Soundway had already put the song on its Doing It in Lagos compilation. Original copies have sold for over $1,300, which makes this the sensible option, and we do enjoy being sensible on someone else's behalf.

Also at Kops: more Steve Monite on vinyl · browse World

Tracklist

Listen

On Soundway (cat# SNDWLP146), a reissue of the 1984 album.