[MRL 394] Afrique - Soul Makossa

David T. Walker - Guitar
Arthur Wright - Guitar
Chuck Rainey - Fender Bass
Charles Kynard - Organ
Ray Pound - Drums
Chino Valdes - Percussion
King Errisson - Percussion
Paul Humphrey - Percussion
Paul Jeffrey - Tenor Sax
Joe Kelso - Tenor Sax

1. Soul Makossa - 4:30
2. Kissing My Love - 3:02
3. Sleepwalk - 3:36
4. Let Me Do My Thing - 4:45
5. Slow Motion - 4:09
6. Hot Mud - 4:10
7. House of Rising Funk - 3:27
8. Dueling Guitars - 3:27
9. Hot Doggin' - 3:23
10. Get It - 3:24

Dusty Groove Review:

A killer album of Afro Funk -- with a very unusual origin! In the wake of Manu Dibango's big hit (and some kind of failure to register the copyright), many many versions of "Soul Makossa" were recorded and released, some good, some bad. This album is a good example of that situation -- kind of a quickie project issued by Mainstream Records to cash in on the hit -- but it's also an amazing bit of lost funk, and a record that's lasted for years in the hearts of beatheads!

The group's a studio combo headed by Richard Fritz -- and includes funky drummer Paul Humphrey, organist Charles Kynard, and guitarist David T Walker -- all players we can trust to keep things groovy. The record does include a version of "Soul Makossa" that's pretty great -- but even better is the breakbeat classic "House Of The Rising Funk", apparently the same version of the track that was issued on a 45 under the name The Chubukos. Other nice ones include "Kissing My Love", "Hot Mud", "Get It", "Hot Doggin", and "Let Me Do My Thing".

AMG Review by Thom Jurek

Now here's an odd one. The track "Soul Makossa" was a hit for Manu Dibango in early 1973. After it was issued, a lot of folks sought to cover it -- most badly. But, in this case, that single track spawned a band of studio musicians hell bent on creating not only a club and jukebox 45 hit of the Dibango original, but an entire set of groove-driven instrumentals that could be issued as 45s for the juke market. Afrique, which was comprised of organist Charles Kynard, guitarist David T. Walker, bassist Chuck Rainey, Joe Kelso and Paul Jeffery on saxophones, drummer Ray Pounds, and a host of percussionists including, Chino Valdes and baritone honker Steve Kravitz.

There were 13 members in all for this one-off. So the deal is simple: this LP, the only Afrique title, is a hell of a slab of lost funk. Sure, there's a groovin' greasy version of the title track, but the real gems lie in "House of the Rising Funk" on side two, the "Mustang Sally" knockoff "Sleepwalk," the tripped out sax ballad "Kissing My Love," the dirty, chunky funk of "Hot Doggin," and the lubricious "Let Me Do My Thing." There is plenty of wah-wah excess, saxist angst, and drunken careening rhythm to propel a soul train from one end of the continent to the other. And if you can dig the guitar breaks against Kynard's hammering, contrapuntal cut up chords on "Slow Motion," than you are ready for anything. For those for whom groove is everything, this album is to be procured at any cost.