Safe Passage

Fresh out of touring as bandleader for Pimps of Joytime, and a collaboration with Cedric

Burnside, multi-instrumentalist Brian J explores instrumental textures and a wider range of tonalities than his previous work on Safe Passage. In spite of this, the strongest songs are those with lyrics, with a particularly outstanding track being the ethereal vocal line of ‘Foot Steps’.

Some West African guitar influences can be heard, but most of the guitar style focuses on blues or rock-inflected riffs. Unfortunately, many of these riffs become repetitive, with a lack of variation in the dynamic range and texture of many of the instrumentals. Many of the drumbeats are Motown- esque, and the song ‘De La’ seems to have a Tinariwen influence. The stripped back solo guitar and drums style is reminiscent of The Shadows at times, especially in the penultimate track ‘Chicha Nola’. The final, title-track mixes things up by introducing a one drop-style drum pattern and a more sparse use of guitar, exchanging riffs with the keyboard. Its laid-back dub- reggae makes it the most evocative instrumental track on the album.