African Head Charge - Songs of Praise
SKU
05--ONU9013
Reggae and beyond producer Adrian Sherwood, a white Englishman, is one of the most interesting music producers to emerge in the 1980's and beyond. He has done a lot of work, some of it quite 'normal' reggae, but the A.H.C. is a long running band/project that features some of the most outside/wild dub/psychedelia of his production work. This is basically reggae for people who think that they don't like reggae (although reggae fans will definitely like this too).
"Not very many reggae albums acknowledge Alan Lomax in the credits. But then, African Head Charge (a band with a constantly changing membership led by percussionist Bonjo Iyabinghi Noah) doesn't really make typical reggae albums. Although the one-drop beat (provided on this album by Lincoln "Style" Scott) influences everything and the basslines have a typical tidal undertow, the stuff that Noah layers on top of the mix has more to do with ethnomusicology than the dancehall. The song titles say it all: "Cattle Herders Chant," a field recording of call-and-response chanting overlaid with Nyahbinghi drums and highlife guitar; "My God," eerie, minor-key African-American church singing supported by a chugging reggae bassline, bare-bones drumming, and the sound of running water; "Deer Spirit Song," an unidentifiable indigenous song in 9/8 meter with a gently driving rockers beat and occasional sound effects thrown in. This is an exceptionally beautiful album, but in a deeply strange way."-Rick Anderson/All Music Guide