I’ve managed to accept the fact that padded envelopes containing CDs are likely never going to drop through my front door with the regularity they once did. Sure, I still get some, but that favored perk of doing the kind of writing I do has largely been replaced by downloads. I wish it wasn’t so, given my Luddite credentials, but it is, to say the least, a sign of the times. And if ever there was a beggar who can’t be a chooser, I am that man. So onward I reluctantly go, inching my way toward the time when pushing all the right buttons (or perhaps clicking all the right links) becomes second nature. Thus, the following set of musical opinions are based upon what I’ve been privileged to receive in forms physical and virtual.
Sundub
It’s criminal (on my part and no one else’s) that I’ve only recently gotten an earful of Brooklyn-based reggae band Sundub. Their two current singles are both electrifying and edifying in the manner of the best reggae. “Jump and Dance” is a familiarly themed but plentifully potent invitation to move your body to that ever-sweet beat, and you’re more than happy to oblige, thanks to the band’s straight up riddim attack and lyrical promise to make one and all “believers in good vibes again.”
With chanting assistance from Lutan Fyah, the promise is fulfilled, mightily. “Spirits Eat Music” takes things to the world of the beyond and lets us know that the beings residing there have matters well in hand. The latter track is also a fitting tribute to the sibling of Sundub founders Joanna Teters (vocals) and Ben Teters (Drums), who lost their younger brother Adam in early 2021. Already a first-rate reggae outfit, Sundub further benefits from production assistance by Steel Pulse’s Sidney Mills and guest appearances that include veteran Jamaican percussionist Larry McDonald. Joanna’s lead vocals are equal parts Trenchtown and Motown, and one of many reasons Sundub is some of the tastiest reggae I’ve heard in a long time.
Hezron Clarke
Further delectable reggae arrives in the form of M.O.A.M. (Tad’s Record) by Jamaica’s Hezron Clarke. He’s a man on a mission (thus the title) with a great honey-and-gravel voice that he puts to good use on spirited roots songs (“Walk in Love and Light”), stark chants (“Warrior’s Code”), pan-Caribbean and Latin flavors (“Kuja Nyumbani” and “Black Widow,” respectively), romantic fare (“Tik Tok I’m Coming”) and simple but mighty words of inspiration (“Smile Today”). Enjoyable all around.
Boston-based Iraqi/Jewish musician and vocalist Yoni Avi Battat is a wiz on violin, viola and oud. His chops not only resulted in him being cast in the wildly successful stage musical “The Band’s Visit” but have earned him a lot of respect in other circles as well. While his debut album Fragments is recognizably seasoned with Eastern European and Middle Eastern roots, it’s not completely beholden to either. Tradition plays a key role in the music, but Yoni’s own creativity figures in just as much. So the music is a nicely honed mix of spunk and solemnity, often taking its sweet time moving from one to the other and sweetly taking the listener along. Bass, percussion, qanun, joza, cello and vocals are applied with jazz-like interplay in and around the structured maqams (melodic modes), leading to outstanding moments like the soaring male/female dual vocals on “Will Her Love Remember?” and concluding “From the Fragments” which lamentably states “from the fragments of forgetting I may never find truth.”
If, however, you’re looking to find exceptional music built from Jewish and Arabic sources and finished with inspiration generated by both, It’s here in abundance.
Okaidja Afroso
After many years of touring and performing with percussion master Obo Addy’s music and dance troupe, Ghanaian troubadour Okaidja Afroso branched out on his own. His latest, Jaku Mumor, is a delightful mix of acoustic guitars, bass, percussion and call and response vocals. The simple sparseness of the album is its strength, with tunes that have the sway and lilt of the West African palm wine style and vocal inspiration based in large part on Ghanaian fisherman songs. The rhythms and melodies go deep in a seemingly effortless manner, and the lack of flash is by no means a lack of soulfulness. This is music that sounds like it’s from an earlier, less complicated time, which, to my ears, is exactly what’s needed right about now.
Wesli
Afro-Haitian roots on Tradisyon (Cumbancha, 2022) run so strong it’s difficult to believe the album was recorded in the faraway climes of Montreal. But that’s where Haitian musician Wesli (born Wesley Louissaint) currently resides. True, he took a lengthy journey back to his homeland to prep for the album, which over the course of 19 tracks nails much of what’s great about his native land’s music. Tradisyon is reportedly the first in a planned two-disc project that’ll cover Haiti’s musical past and its likely impact on the future. That being the case, Wesli’s off to a banger of a start. The disc is a treasury of African-based percussion-and-vocal chants, twoubadou folk songs laden with rich banjo, accordion, violin and cello textures, lively carnival music and just a few modern production touches for contrast’s sake. Wesli’s vocals and multi-instrumental chops easily place him alongside Haiti’s many musical greats, and this remarkable set of songs is one of the year’s best releases.
Dogo du Togo
Singer/guitarist Massama Dogo, for present purposes called Dogo du Togo, hails, quite naturally, from the rather small African nation of Togo. (It’s on the map, look real hard.) He’s best known stateside as leader of the Afropop band Elikeh, but his self-titled new album is a testament to his country’s traditional music. As such, it is largely acoustic in nature, helmed by Dogo’s quietly rich voice and eloquently played guitar. Zesty percussion, bass and spirited choral vocals give the songs motion and melodic beauty as they address the goings-on in Togo in particular and Africa in general. While political concerns get their hearing, personal notes like the opening “Zonda,” which Dogo wrote for his newborn son, have just as strong a role in making for a very satisfying release. Highly recommended.
Putumayo presents Afro-Cubano
The new various artist collection Afro Cubano covers familiar ground for both its label and such compilations as a whole. Nonetheless, it’s solid and well-chosen, as such releases from Putumayo tend to be. The disc begins and ends smartly, courtesy of Manu Dibango’s smooth burning opener “Bassoka” and Ricardo Lemvo’s “N’dona Ponte,” a typically brilliant Congolese-flavored excursion with his band Makina Loca. Tucked within are some real nuggets, a few more clearly on one side of the title juxtaposition than the other. But there are no duds, and particular gems like Meissa’s kora-meets-Cuba “Femme Noire” make this one well worth getting.
Addendum and final word in one: as I was scouting about for something with which to wrap up this column, that something came about when another single from Sundub dropped. “New Ways To Love” is a jaunty, clavinet-kissed positivity lesson featuring co-vocals from Peetah Morgan in his usual fine testifying style. The title sums up what the tune urges us all to find as an antidote to increasing madness, the all-real riddim rocks with hints of mento in the melody, and Sundub once again impresses as a reggae band to watch
(headline image: Wesli)
Author: Tom Orr
Tom Orr is a California-based writer whose talent and mental stability are of an equally questionable nature. His hobbies include ignoring trends, striking dramatic poses in front of his ever-tolerant wife and watching helplessly as his kids surpass him in all desirable traits.