I am Suffering

Agongo – full name Jacob Abagnagongo – plays the kologo, a two-stringed calabash lute which is the typical instrument of the Frafra people in north-eastern Ghana and is a cousin of the more familiar Malian ngoni. Agongo was first heard on the compilation album This is Kologo Power, released earlier this year on Makkum Records, which was co-compiled by King Ayisoba, Ghana's best known kologo player and Agongo's mentor. Agongo's first international release confirms his considerable talent, as his earthy, rhythmic plucking and throaty, almost guttural voice are accompanied by abongo, bimet and longa drums, wooden flute and hunting horn.

The title-track, along with several others, sounds like it's based on an ancient chant, while a synthesized bass line lends added heft to a couple of tracks without compromising the sound's acoustic aesthetic. King Ayisoba himself adds his voice to ‘Suubala’, although he's actually a less powerful singer than his protégé. The only drawback is that the limitations of the kologo's two strings means that all eight tracks are in the same key and a similar style so that the record depends almost entirely on slight changes of tempo for any variation.