Dave Smith is a remarkable young drummer, as those who have heard him playing with JuJu, or with Robert Plant’s Sensational Space Shifters will know. With his band Outhouse Ruhabi he mixed improvisation with the Sabar drumming styles of Gambia and Senegal, and with Fofoulah he takes those experiments further by matching African rhythms against anything from rap to dance styles. This is an album dominated by percussion (which is to be expected, as Smith is also the producer) but it displays surprising variety. He is joined by a band that includes Sabar and Tama talking-drums exponent Kaw Secka for a set that features chanting African vocals from Batch Gueye and JuJu’s Juldeh Camara; an impressive, drifting contribution from the Algerian singer Iness Mezel; and moody, thoughtful rap from Ghostpoet. Fofoulah often concentrate on rhythm not melody, but this is a bravely adventurous new fusion band.
