Exuma - Exuma (1970*)*original release year; 2003 re-release reviewed here
Wow, this album was a great find. Mixing elements of freak folk, soul, reggae, and African rhythms (among many other styles), Exuma's long forgotten and criminally ignored debut album is a masterpiece. Think of how a Caribbean version of Comus' First Utterance would sound and you might get something that sounds like this. Many of the album's seven tracks could have (or should have) been classics. But aside from being well composed, much of the album's appeal comes from its lyrical themes relating to voodoo and zombies and other such stereotypically cool-sounding stuff.
Looking up the biography of the mysterious man known as Exuma, the Obeah Man, I found out that he wasn't so mysterious after all; his real name was Tony. I stopped reading after that. Similar to such musicians as Robert Johnson or Sun Ra, knowing little factual information does so much to add to the character of his music. You know that Robert Johnson didn't sell his soul to the devil and you know that Sun Ra didn't come from outer space to make music on earth, but hot damn does that add to their appeal. It's the power of myth. I'm not sure if Exuma really believed that he came to earth on a lightning bolt with "fire and brimstone coming out of [his] mouth", but it makes for one hell of an interesting listen.
Even without the mythical appeal, this album is the very definition of an underground treasure. His music didn't find much of an audience in his lifetime. Hopefully such an error can be corrected in a new generation.
Score: 9/10
"Dambala"
"You Don't Know What's Going On"
Looking up the biography of the mysterious man known as Exuma, the Obeah Man, I found out that he wasn't so mysterious after all; his real name was Tony. I stopped reading after that. Similar to such musicians as Robert Johnson or Sun Ra, knowing little factual information does so much to add to the character of his music. You know that Robert Johnson didn't sell his soul to the devil and you know that Sun Ra didn't come from outer space to make music on earth, but hot damn does that add to their appeal. It's the power of myth. I'm not sure if Exuma really believed that he came to earth on a lightning bolt with "fire and brimstone coming out of [his] mouth", but it makes for one hell of an interesting listen.
Even without the mythical appeal, this album is the very definition of an underground treasure. His music didn't find much of an audience in his lifetime. Hopefully such an error can be corrected in a new generation.
Score: 9/10
"Dambala"
"You Don't Know What's Going On"
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