Rating: NNN
On their fourth studio album, Sierra Leone’s Refugee All Stars – the band that literally formed in a Guinea refugee camp during Sierra Leone’s civil war – have gone back to their roots: stripped-down, acoustic, folk-tinged reggae songs well suited to a campfire.
Multiple band members (there are seven total) take turns writing and singing lead, lending the album diversity as well as varying degrees of reggae-ness, all unified by laid-back vocal harmonies that are like a cool breeze on every track. Producer Chris Velan wisely keeps the brass muted, bringing warm guitar, congas, banjo and ukulele to the forefront. The instrumental combination is pleasant on each song, whether “romantic” (on Can’t Make Me Lonely, a woman consistently refuses bandleader Reuben M. Koroma’s advances) or political (Rich But Poor and Manjalagi both address poverty). The prettiest tunes, like standout Gbaenyama, are sung in Mende, making you wish for more of them.
Top track: Gbaenyama
Sierra Leone’s Refugee All Stars play David Pecaut Square as part of Luminato on June 14.
