To Africa With Love

The five-string electric bass guitar of Joseph Patrick Moore manifests in ways much closer to rock and funk than straitlaced village or ritualistic music from Africa. He is the focal point, playing more a hard-edged lead melodic style than a rhythmic or percussive role. Unlike that of a guitarist, and more in an orchestral fashion, Moore molds or shapes these tunes and lets his accompanying players scurry around and about him. To Africa with Love is not only music that stands by itself, but is part of a DVD documentary of the same name from filmmaker Sam Cooke, as scenes from the wilds of flatlands and animal habitats can he heard and seen. The CD is bookended by the famous, hot Neville Brothers tune "Fire on the Bayou," and "Heart Beat," a straight 6/8 funk. In between, a variety of bass solo workouts, fingerpopping techniques, and multi-layered sounds are heard, which include a rap, a little Afro-pop, a child's song brought from adolescence to adulthood, vocals, sampling, denser urban beats, and the title track, which sounds as if it could be borrowed from the set list of The Script. The music is cliché to an extent, but exciting to listen to if you're in the mood for dancing or highway driving through an imaginary Kalahari or Serengeti. ~ Michael G. Nastos, Rovi