With a Newworldaquarium dub.
A melodica instrumental right up there with his very best cuts. A lot more exalted — Rockers International style — than his Studio One killers.
Boogie-down cosmic funk — like full-throttle Roy Ayers. Jimi Adams packs his inner Hendrix off to Funky Town; the horns are the horniest; Mona runs it all down with an irresistible West African tilt.
Beautifully presented in die-cut, screen-printed jackets, with printed inner sleeves.
‘Two versions of one of Ra’s most enduring compositions. The classic take featuring vocals by David Henderson, and an alternate instrumental version never before released on vinyl, featuring the almighty John Gilmore on the drum kit!’
Tiny run.
The alluring, mystery female vocalist here is cool and deadly amidst the mayhem, beside a tasty harmonica lead. Nice bebop saxophone, too, on the flip.
Three killers heralding the latest phase of this dazzling expression of a dream Dakar-Berlin nexus. All instrumental — though the opener has snatches of singing — with the vocal versions held back for the album.
The music just gets deadlier and deadlier — harder-boiled and deeper; more focussed, confident and dubwise.
Evoking the ancient cultural legacy of the griots, ‘Walo Walo’ is also the name of the sabar rhythm underlying the opener, which features Ibou Mbaye’s percussive synth-work, Mangone Ndiaye Dieng’s kit-drumming, and Bada Seck’s rigorous jolts of lower-pitched Thiol drum. The ‘Groove’ version is tough as nails; well and truly gnarly.
A tribute to the Baye Fall leader, Ndiguel Groove is a sparse, mellow interpretation of the most traditional cut on the album, showcasing Assane Ndoye Cisse’s insinuating guitar lines, Laye Lo’s super-elasticated snare-drumming, and Bada Seck playing the khine drums associated with the Baye Fall. (Short and wide; lightweight but low-pitched.)
Pretty awesome.
Triumphantly reviving all-time-classic Jammy’s. Proper dub, too.