Super review by Cal Gibson, of The Secret Soul Society.

It was the magical ears of the  legendary radio host Steve Barker that alerted me to the wonderful soundscapes stitched together by the North Ugandan griot Ekuka Morris Sirikiti. As ever, Steve’s radar for the unexpected and the sublime remains crystal clear, even after all these years.

Te-Kwaro Alango-Ekuka consists of ten new versions of songs initially recorded between 1978 and 2003. Ekuka’s voice and lukeme (thumb piano) bolstered by minimal percussion and splashes of backing vocals, creating a winding river of sound and motion, shape-shifting, hand-clapping, patterns repeating and splaying, repeating and fraying.

The liner notes inform us that these are tales of everyday life, observations rendered through caring eyes, the hum and hiss of human interactions set down on tape. Try Kwalo Jami Amon Too, for a fine example, a bouncing, flouncing fever dream of life – all hunched shoulders and distracted gazes – Ekuka’s vocal an intimate quarrel, voices raised in the street.

Tec Me Ot Joc flies out of the traps, measured and thoughtful, the beat clapped out, some elegant harmonies shovelled into the mix. A piercing light rendered visible through sound, dreams and nightmares, the wanderings of a mind set free. Bursting with a babble of life. Taking care of the hearts of the people.

Onyo Ocolo is all vague palpitations and a parting of the ways (at least to these ears). Ekuka setting up a vibrant blank canvas for the mind to write upon: trees, flowers, animals – the clarity of truth.

Cil Paco plays us out and the depth of feeling remains to the end: compassionate and poised, waves of sound and emotion caught and delivered – lively, warm, encompassing. It’s an album that wants to learn about life and explore the world: a pared-down trip into a new infatuation.

Ekuka Morris Sirikiti’s Te-Kwaro Alango-Ekuka is out now on Nyege Nyege Tapes.