Osibisa

Osibisa were, for me (and I think, many others), the entry point to the music of Africa. Their joyous blend of Ghanaian rhythms and singing were utterly captivating and so I followed the twists and changes within the band for many years.
They recorded two albums for Warner Bros after some members of the original band had split off to play with other bands but the spirit and the sheer funk of Osibisa was still there.
The two album are contained in this release, on 1 CD.

So, first question – is this music as effective today as it was back in the mid-seventies? Does it still get the bum cheeks twitching and the shoulders shaking, the feet tapping out the groove?
Answer – yes, without question. Listening to tracks such as ‘Happy Children’ or ‘Adwoa’ the cross-rhythms of the congas and chanting vocals, there is almost involuntary dancing to the music.

Second question – after the explosion of African music in the last few years, does this sound ‘authentic’ or ‘genuine’?
Answer – again, yes. So much music from Ghana or Nigeria or Chad or Benin has been released recently and almost all of it shows the same influences of Afro-Beat and Highlife as Osibisa has. Lots of different ways of showing that influence and Osibisa’s is as valid as anyone else. It is a lot more than Afro-Beat or Highlife, very much original music in its own right.

The second album, Osibisa, shows a little more Western influence, largely due to exposure to bands like Funkadelic and Kool & The Gang who they toured with across America, but is still very much an Osibisa album. The chanted vocals are still there and the poly-rhythms with some added Funk in places.

Two of the best albums from a band who ‘broke’ African music to a much wider audience in the West.
Joy all the way.