Soul Dances, The

WORD-BEAT – “The Soul Dances”
T&T, 2006

Nifty mix of pan-African pop, gospel, spoken word. Word-Beat is a duo of singer/actor Charles Williams (an associate of Sweet Honey in the Rock) and percussionist Tom Teasley, bolstered here with a horn trio and occasional backing singers. Williams’ baritone has tremendous authority, lending extra weight to pronouncements of folk wisdom and spiritual devotion. The band keeps things lively with complex, layered rhythms. Recommended.

Fo’s Picks: 2, 3, 4, 5, 8, 9

1. 5:00 – uptempo African polyrhythm; lots of drums, horn stings, celebratory vocal
2. 4:35 – relaxed but powerful spiritual, New Orleans beat & choir, soulful sax break
3. 5:27 – laid-back African strut w/stripped-down beat, powerful vox & proverbs
4. 5:17 – grooving spiritual, big-voiced vocal, good flute & drum breaks.
5. 4:36 – relaxed rowing song with lovely male chorus, water sounds keep beat
6. 6:08 – haunting intro, then a popping South African song; didgeridoo break
7. 4:21 – blend of Egyptian & Israeli tunes: duet vox, sweet melodies, sax break
8. 4:42 – spoken word & balafon in front of a compelling mid/uptempo groove
9. 4:31 – cool: Harriet Tubman poem, freestyle jazz sax & a funk/hip-hop touch

[Fo] - 4/14/06