Aura is a studio album by the Nigerian jùjú musician King Sunny Adé, released in 1984.[2][3] It is credited to King Sunny Adé and His African Beats.
Unlike Adé's previous two Mango Records albums, Aura did not make the Billboard 200.[4] Mango dropped Adé after its release, and Adé broke up His African Beats.[1][5]
Trouser Press thought that "the rhythm tracks are almost pure beatbox in style... The vocal harmonies in [Adé's] work have a distinctive Latin feel."[14]The Philadelphia Inquirer called the album "subtly hypnotic, captivating," writing that "layer over layer of intricate rhythm is combined with swerving melodies, skirling guitar parts and the call-and-response chanting that is the heart of 'juju' music."[15]Jon Pareles, of The New York Times, listed Aura at number two on his list of the 10 best albums of 1984.[16]
AllMusic wrote that, "once again, Adé and a battery of guitarists are particularly impressive, laying down a wealth of nicely integrated solos; as with earlier Adé recordings, the pedal steel work is especially stunning."[10]Mojo deemed the album "even groovier" than Synchro System.[17]Miami New Times argued that, "because Aura's cutting-edge songs blended poorly with its more traditional Yoruban-based pieces, it ended up sounding more foreign than his other American LPs."[18]