Ritti
Soul Science
by Justin Adams and Juldeh Camara Trio
|
|
|
Once heard, a plucked ritti has a sound that is not easily forgotten – a low-frequency, one-note twang that, like the shuddering bass notes poured out by a dub sound system, go straight to the listener’s gut. Actually a one-stringed fiddle characteristic of West Africa, the ritti wielded by the Gambian griot Juldeh Camara on Soul Science does more than simply twang. Bowed, it sings wildly, sending out a melody that spirals into higher and higher tones.
Soul Science came about after Camara heard Desert Road, from British blues guitarist Justin Adams, the 2002 disc that put the fusion of West African proto-blues and Western electric guitar at its heart. Impressed by Adams’ feel for his material, Camara proposed that they develop their ideas in tandem and, here joined by percussionist Salah Dawson Miller and bassist Billy Fuller, is the vivacious result. As with Adams’ production on Tinariwen’s albums, Soul Science benefits from a deft underproduction. Acoustic and electric instruments assume a resonance that suggests the intimacy of a campfire performance. Opener ‘Yerro Mama’ is a hardcore ritti work, but after that the band go into sharing mode. Camara’s stratospheric vocals on ‘Nayo’, combining with raspy percussion and a cascade of electric overtones, are magnificent, while on ‘Ya Ta Kaaya’ Adams brings a shuffly punkishness into his blues equation with riffs reminiscent of The Clash. It’s no coincidence that the sleeve reproduces a stencilled photo of him looking like none other than Joe Strummer.
- Product information
- Star rating
- Product link
- www.myspace.com/justinadamsproducer and www.myspace.com/juldehcamarauk
- Product number
- Wayward 704 CD
- Publisher
- Wayward
Join over 30,000 people just like you. Get e-mail updates about new content, action alerts, contests, and more!
Voices from the margins:
Multimedia: video, podcasts, and more.
- Poetry Slam in Zimbabwe
- The House of Hunger poetry slam held in Zimbabwe in 2006, and organised by the Pamberi Trust, showcased young artists performing inspirational work on issues from corporate power to child soldiers. The video features four of the poets.
Published by Pambazuka News.
- Iranian women speak out
- 3 March 2007, London. Women's rights activists marched through the English capital last week to celebrate International Women's Day with a protest against the misogyny of the Islamic regime in Iran and the threat of invasion by the US. Hear the voices of Iranian feminists Azar and Leila Parnian and the sounds of the demonstration as it passed through the heart of the city. Click here to learn more about the campaign.
Produced by Heidi Bachram.
- Raised Voices audio:
- Benny from West Papua on Corporate Power
- Vinayan from India on agriculture
