OGASSA Vinyl & CDs

Review: Rare finds enthusiasts, this one's for you. Beninese Afrobeat troupe Ogassa were, criminally, hardly celebrated in their day. Their only album and surviving high-quality recording is 'Ogassa Original', released on the enigmatic record label Albarika Store, whose archives are still being scoured by the modern label Acid Jazz for the purpose of reissing their best and most obscure pressings. Recorded at EMI in Lagos, the four songs heard on this LP, from 'Avale' to 'Gbe We Gnin Wa Bo', feature an ensemble of voices and performances, each full of gratitude for continent of Africa, familial rites, and matters of the spiritual.