Hoga spotlights another renegade Malian noble doing music and
Sidi Toure goes for Songhai sounds, so there's a decided
Ali Farka Toure blues feel to the music on his debut disc.
Baba Sallah's lead guitar on "Ir Kagay Alada" gets close to a
John Lee Hooker drone boogie feel and Hassaye Sarre's scratchy violin buzz is a persistent element throughout. Between the violin and female backing vocals, there's a lot of high-pitched action that can get grating, and while
Sidi Toure is a good singer, he's no
Salif Keita or a vocalist with the magisterial authority of
Ali Farka Toure. The arrangements could use more space to let the elements shine through; too much goes on in "Holley" despite a shift to an effective groove undercurrent in mid-song. The title track, an ecological protest, works better because there's less clutter and "Neli K'Ay Guna" starts clear and simple before the solos clutter things up. "Gao" is a ten-minute epic on the history of the Songhai empire that's slower but retains forward momentum. Still, the parts come across as repetitious without truly locking down into compelling, in-synch riffs and grooves.
Hoga is a spotty, probably premature, debut by musicians who sound like they haven't settled into playing with each other or working in the studio. The music feels rushed and never really comes together into solid, memorable songs. ~ Don Snowden