Galgi

Gambian guitarist and bandleader Bai Janha’s storied career was so prolific that whole albums from his group Karantamba lingered unreleased on fragile reel-to-reel tape. Specialist label Teranga Beat performed a restoration mission to bring us Galgi. The record transports us to Dakar in 1988, where Karatamba laid down a confident guitar-driven fusion of West African dance styles, garnished with 1980s instrumentation. The grooves fizz with energetic percussion, buoyant bass lines and slick guitar hooks. The tonal excesses of the 1980s occasionally intrude but never dominate. Janha shares vocal duties with female singer Ndey Nyang, who operates in a striking upper range reminiscent of the attention-grabbing impact of Millie Small (of ‘My Boy Lollipop’ fame). The pair duet on ‘Kadija’, a lilting jam that demands a hip-swaying gait and must have filled floors when performed live.