Ginger Baker will forever be best known for his influential drum work as part of British blues-rockers
Cream. But as most serious admirers of the drummer know,
Baker subsequently tackled countless other styles. Case in point,
African Force. Joining
Baker is a supporting cast of percussionists with a tribal drumming background, and expectedly, this style is reflected throughout the album. In fact, it sounds very comparable to
David Byrne's solo albums and also
Paul Simon circa his
Graceland period, especially on such tracks as "Brain Damage" and "Sokoto," while the over-epic twelve-minute album-closing title track adds some funk bass to the mix. For those who think that all of
Baker's work sounds like
Disraeli Gears, you're in for quite a surprise with
African Force. ~ Greg Prato