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Rivers of Innocent Blood (Psalm 68, 2002) Of all the places in the United States to produce reggae talent, Tennessee would be about the last location you'd guess, but lo and behold, here comes Kitara Psalm Sixty-Eight, a fledgling band (still in the process of being formed, actually) headed by Andrew Kitara. To be fair, Kitara is originally from Sudan, and his music reflects not the relative tranquility of life in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, but rather a lifetime of strife and war in his native land, indicative in the title Rivers of Innocent Blood. As you would expect, the mood on this debut album is pensive and somber, aided by the Kitara's pained wailing; while he doesn't have what you'd term a great singing voice, it is distinct and evocative with its gravelly texture and African lilt (a bit reminiscent of Alpha Blondy at times). It's truly amazing and inspirational that he could come to America and put together not one, but two albums (so far) without a real band, producer, or distributor to speak of. As such, the material is somewhat unpolished, but nevertheless it's a promising start with enough raw emotion and sincere righteous roots sentiment to satisfy fans of roots reggae -- and especially African reggae. "Jah Alter" and the title track to Rivers of Innocent Blood are particular standouts. |
| Track Listing 1. Jah Alter 2. Rivers of Innocent Blood 3. Rev. Jesse Jackson 4. African Son and Daughter 5. Palestinian, Israel and More Children 6. Thanks President Kagota 7. Psychological Theft 8. Salam Bedush 9. Anyanya V. 10. Ganja Peace Pipe |
My Children (Psalm 68, 2003)
Andrew Kitara's somber, craggly vocals return on this slightly more upbeat sophomore album that also shows some growth in songwriting and overall quality. Particularly striking is "Love to Love," perhaps the best song Kitara has released on his two albums thus far, with its simple yet resonating refrain, "They love to hate, they hate to love. I love to love, I hate to hate." Also solid are "As Long As Forever," "Soldiers Overstand," the title track, and "Anyanya V.," which oddly is repeated from Kitara's first album. Overall, this album is more consistent in quality than Rivers of Innocent Blood, and is a step in the right direction for Kitara's career. Although he may need to move from Tennessee in order to make the kind of impact he desires, I think that he has enough talent and style to draw a legitimate, if underground, following.
| Track Listing 1. Did You Say 2. Love to Love 3. My Children 4. Black Sheep 5. As Long As Forever 6. Dear Sweet Heart 7. Ill Logic 8. Soldiers Overstand 9. Anyanya V. 10. Visit Them Prophets |
Rivers of Innocent Blood (Psalm 68, 2006)
Displaying a resilience that no doubt helped lead him from
Sudan to America, Andrew Kitara returns, having remixed and repackaged his work,
adding extra tracks to boot. The
new version of Rivers of Innocent Blood combines some of the best of
Kitara's first two albums -- notably, "Love to Love" and
"Soldiers Overstand" from My Children and the title track from Rivers
-- along with two new songs, the airy "Dreams Come True" and the
melancholy "Sudan Jeit!!!" The
sound is more polished (Granted, his vocals are still a bit sketchy, but they
have a certain charisma.) and the song selection more honed than on the previous
Rivers. Check it out at psalm68.com.
| Track Listing 1. Black Sheep 2. Love to Love 3. My Children 4. Did You Say? 5. As Long Jah Forever 6. Dreams Come True 7. Ill Logic 8. Soldiers Overstand 9. Psychological Theft 10. Ganjah P. Pipe 11. Rivers of the Innocent Blood 12. Rev. J. Jackson 13. Sudan Jedit!!! |
Babylon Is One (Psalm 68, 2006)
Babylon Is One features 3 tracks from Andrew
Kitara's original Rivers of Innocent Blood -- "Anyanya V," "Israeli/Palestinian," and "Jah Alter" --
and adds 7 new tunes that exemplify his soothing sound. The music is rich, featuring the type of weeping guitar
backing that we're accustomed to from Lucky Dube --
a haunting, sorrowful sound that's almost like African country music.
While many reggae artists sing lyrics of Africa and of social and
political struggles, Sudan's Kitara can speak from first-hand experience in one
of the harshest environments in the world, where genocide and slavery still make
headlines and where survival in itself is an accomplishment.
And he has done more than survive; he has crafted a musical testament.
His lyrics and vocals are perhaps most impactful when he recites poetry
-- a la dub poets like Mutabaruka and Oku
Onuora -- as he does on "I'm the Nile"; he may want to consider
throwing that style into his music even more in order to emphasize his important
message.
| Track Listing 1. Afrika Zion 2. Afrikan Child 3. Anyanya V 4. Babylon Is One 5. I'm the Nile 6. Israeli/Palestinian 7. Jah Alter 8. Mama Rebecca 9. Thanks President U.M.K. 10. Wa Oo Nining |
Yes We Can (Psalm 68, 2008)
Kitara Psalm Sixty-Eight's latest effort rides the wave of Barack Obama mania with its call for unity in support of Obama ("Yes We Can"), but otherwise it falls in line with their previous releases, with a melancholy, airy African sound. It's the sort of music that could help Lucky Dube fans ease the gaping hole in their listenting schedule following Dube's tragic death. Not that the material on Yes We Can is in that ballpark, but the tone and overally style is similar, and tunes like "Peace Pipe," "Mama Rosa" and "Long" show promise. The latter in particular, an off-kilter ska track with warped, underwater vocals, could represent a bold new direction for the band that helps them stand out from the pack of roots reggae acts. Otherwise, the songs on Yes We Can are pretty standard and risk being forgotten soon after hearing them.
| Track Listing 1. Yes We Can 2. Mama Rosa 3. Peace Pipe 4. Let Them Go 5. Long 6. Visit Them 7. Free Them Jah |
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