Skip to main content

African Roots by the Skatalites

 

  African Roots by the Skatalites is an album that was released in 1976. According to the writing on the album, the Skatalites new sound then, was reggae. Their usual sound is ska...which is more upbeat. The tracks on this album are mislabeled. African roots is the name of the album, not the name of a track on the album. Each track has the name below it, and I call the last track “the last track”. There is a slower track on this album named Rock Bottom. Rock Bottom is a track with a pleasant dark atmosphere. It also possesses a strong reggae groove. The guitar on this track and its minor chords contribute to this wonderful vibe, as does the minor melody of the horns.

The tenor sax solos on all of these tracks are good. They are simple (usually) yet memorable. There is noticeable jazz phrasing in some of the solos on this track. This makes since, because the musicians on this album were jazz musicians, before they were ska or reggae musicians. The guitar and flute soloing on this album are likewise quite good. There is at times notable interplay between the tenor saxophone and the guitar in some of these tracks, such as Candle Light.

There is only one track on this album that feels like a real departure, and that is the track Fugitive. It has the feel of being a disco track. This makes some sense given that this album was released in 1976, at the height of disco. The track possesses a strong lead flute. To my knowledge this is the only track in which the flute is the lead instrument.

The use of the delay effect is present in some of the tracks on this album. It gives certain tracks on this album a dub-like feel. These are Fugitive, Herb Challis, and the last track. It would have been more satisfying to me, to hear more of this on the album, and more general studio trickery.

Nonetheless, this album is a good one to relax to if you like instrumental reggae or jazz. It isn’t outstanding, other works in the Skatalite’s discography might be better, but it is not a bad album by any means. I give African Roots a 6/10.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Review of Black Market by Weather Report

  Weather Report was a jazz fusion band that started in 1970. The album I am reviewing, Black Market was released in 1976. The album was produced by Joe Zawinul and Wayne Shorter. I think it had something to do with my environment, and the albums I have reviewed before, but this is the first album that actively irritated me. The ballads and the slower moments in general made me want to fall to sleep. Some of the tracks went on too long. This is not to say there is no good music on this album. There is. It simply needed streamlining and a stronger sense of energy behind it. The starting track off of this album is good. There is a generally sunny groove at the beginning of this album. It is lead of by the fretless bass of Jaco Pastorius, the machine-gun delivery of his notes later on in the track are also noteworthy. The warm analog keys and synths of Zawinul are also strong and pleasant in this album overall. Another unique aspect of this track is the odd meter groove that happ...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Family That Plays Together by Spirit

  My next album is The Family That Plays Together by Spirit. Spirit are a 1960s Los Angeles psychedelic band. Their first album is self-titled Spirit. The four songwriters on this album are Randy California, Locke, Cassidy, and Jay Ferguson. All of the tracks on this album offer something to suggest. One stand-out track on this album is Jewish. While it involves much singing that is either in Hebrew or Yiddish (I don't know Hebrew or Yiddish), it also has much more to offer. It offers tempo changes, and a jazzy feel. The song shifts at one point from 4/4 time to 3/4, and glides effortlessly along. The guitar work on their first track is energetic and bluesy. It makes that track worth listening to. The fourth track on this album Silky Sam has a dramatic stop-start part near the middle but is otherwise unremarkable. There is a nice slow part on the fifth track, Drunkard, with some nice violin, and overall it is a decent track. The sixth track has a nice gospel feel. It is somewh...
Post a Comment
Read more