SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: AFRICAN HEAD CHARGE – A TRIP TO BOLGATANGA

African Head Charge
A Trip To Bolgatanga
On-U Sound

This is African Head Charge’s first new album in a dozen years. Although they have always employed “world” sounds within their psychedelic dub, the focus here is most definitely on West African sounds, or more specifically the sound of Bolgatanga in northern Ghana, where leader/ master percussionist Bonjo Iyabinghi Noah has been absorbing the sounds of the country’s drummers as he has spent time with his family. So, some of this is very rootsy, though not necessarily in a roots reggae sense – some tracks sound (initially) like field recordings. However master sound manipulator/ label boss Adrian Sherwood works his magic too, and long-time collaborators like Skip McDonald, Doug Wimbish and drummer Perry Melius are all on hand, alongside horn players, keyboard players, and extra percussionists and vocalists, the latter including the wonderful Ghetto Priest. There is also the insistent groove of King Ayisoba, who supplies vocals and plays the kologo, a distinctive two-stringed lute-like instrument. Musicians step in and out throughout, adding different ingredients, from dancehall reggae to the almost jazz and R&B phrasing of the horns on the title track, and always keeping us listeners on our toes. Oh, but if you still somewhere have a yearning for a (relatively) traditional dub sound, do listen to “Passing Clouds” or the closing “Microdosing”. But it is far more satisfying to hear the whole album and let it simmer for a while.

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