It is completely understandable if you're wondering what
Extra Golden, the unlikely transcontinental band who created a new sound by integrating rock and American indie pop sensibilities with Benga, a music emanating from Kenya and Nairobi, would sound like without original vocalist
Otieno Jagwasi, who passed away after a long battle with liver disease before the release of
Ok-Oyot System in 2006.
Otieno's brother
Onyango Wuod Omari has stepped in to fill his brother's shoes as a vocalist and on drums, and
Extra Golden has recruited guitarist
Opiyo Bilongo, who sings as well. The basic tracks were recorded in Lakeville, PA, with additional recording completed in Washington, D.C., New York, Austin, Louisiana, and elsewhere. Those who were enchanted by the debut album have nothing to fear on
Hera Ma Nono. The basic rock & roll shuffle that introduces the opening cut, "Jakolando," is quickly wound into the chittering, snaky lines of
Bilongo and
Alex Minoff.
Ian Eagleson's bassline is a constant, funky pulse and
Onyango's drums and vocals offer a song that is utterly infectious, albeit an elegy for his deceased brother. The only hint that this might be a lament is in the elongated bridge where the listener can hear the anguish in
Onyango's voice. Like New Orleans funeral music, what may be a tome of mourning is transformed as song into something danceable while retaining its deep well of emotion.