Robert Christgau: Dean of American Rock Critics

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Hi-Life International

  • Music to Wake the Dead! [Rounder, 1984] B+

Consumer Guide Reviews:

Music to Wake the Dead! [Rounder, 1984]
With Ghana's big-band dance style now regarded as overpolite in its country of origin, highlife's virtues are ripe for exploitation elsewhere--namely, London, where these expatriates perceived an opening and moved in. The melodies are so fetching they camouflage the overcasual vocals, but the three attempts to cash in on Zaire's big-band dance style don't kick home. Soukous isn't supposed to be polite. B+