Songs of Praise

Sounding like equal parts ethnomusicology, dubwise reggae, and avant-garde sound experimentation, Bonjo Iyabinghi Noah’s work under the name African Head Charge has been consistently interesting and usually captivating over the course of his career. Songs of Praise is the most consistently powerful of AHC’s albums, one that features field recordings of gospel singers, Muslim prayers, Nyahbinghi chanting, and all kinds of other elements, all wrapped up in heavy roots reggae rhythms and then exploded into outer space by producer Adrian Sherwood’s dub-heavy mixing. This is one of the most astonishing and moving albums ever to come out of the utterly unique On-U Sound studio.