Overview
“Songs of Praise” is a 1990 album by the London-based psychedelic dub ensemble African Head Charge.
About African Head Charge
African Head Charge is a psychedelic dub project formed in 1981 by Jamaican percussionist Bonjo Iyabinghi Noah in collaboration with British producer Adrian Sherwood.
The group features a revolving lineup of musicians and operates primarily as a studio ensemble. Most of its releases have appeared on Sherwood’s label, On-U Sound.
Their sound is based on polyrhythmic percussion rooted in Nyabinghi — Jamaican religious music and drumming — combined with African rhythms and dub techniques, along with heavy studio processing.
Bonjo Iyabinghi Noah was born in rural Jamaica and immersed in Nyabinghi drumming and Rastafarian musical traditions from childhood. He moved to London in the late 1970s/early 1980s and met Sherwood.
African Head Charge began as a studio project exploring experimental dub. Early albums such as “My Life in a Hole in the Ground” (1981), “Environmental Studies” (1982), and “Drastic Season” (1983) established the group’s distinctive fusion of primal percussion and manipulated electronic sounds.
Production Background
“Songs of Praise,” released in 1990 on On-U Sound, represents a maturation of the group’s methods. It integrates sampled and performed religious chants from around the world with dense African-derived percussion and dub mixing.
The album was recorded with contributions from musicians including Nigerian conga player Sunny Akpan and American musician Skip McDonald / Little Axe (guitar), with engineering and mixing by Adrian Sherwood and Martin Frederix. The basic process involved laying down foundational percussion tracks, layering additional elements, and applying extensive dub effects such as delay, reverb, and varispeed.
Musical Characteristics
The album emphasizes rhythm density, low-frequency weight, and spatial processing.
Hand drums, Nyabinghi kits, and congas form the structural core, creating polyrhythmic layers that drive the music. Bass lines provide physical grounding, while guitars and electronics add textural contrast and distortion.
Vocal elements consist mainly of sampled and layered chants from diverse sources. These vocals function not as conventional lead melodies but as rhythmic and timbral components, processed with echo and delay to blend into the dub framework.
Release History
The original 1990 LP contained 8 tracks, while the CD contained 14 tracks (approximately 59–60 minutes).
Expanded reissues from 2020 onward (double LP and digital editions) include bonus tracks such as “Full Charge,” “Fullness,” and “Special Mix.”
Reception
Although the album did not achieve mainstream chart success, it earned strong underground acclaim in the UK and among international dub audiences. It is frequently cited as African Head Charge’s masterpiece and one of the key releases on On-U Sound.
Historical Position and Influence
“Songs of Praise” occupies a position where post-punk dub experimentation, Rastafarian musical practice, and 1980s–90s interest in African and diasporic rhythms intersect.
Sherwood’s approach of “treating the mixing desk as an instrument” demonstrates a method of organizing percussion and vocal fragments into coherent, danceable, and immersive structures without relying on conventional song forms. This approach has influenced subsequent artists in dub, techno, and hybrid electronic genres who treat rhythm as a primary organizing force.
Track Listing (Original 1990 Release)
- Free Chant (Churchical Chant Of The Iyabinghi) – 3:30
- Orderliness, Godliness, Discipline And Dignity – 3:16
- Hymn – 5:30
- Dervish Chant – 7:50
- Hold Some More – 6:18
- Healing Father – 4:46
- Healing Ceremony – 3:48
- Cattle Herders Chant – 4:15
- Ethiopian Praises – 1:28
- My God – 4:11
- Gospel Train – 3:02
- Chant For The Spirits – 4:08
- God Is Great – 4:16
- Deer Spirit Song – 2:22
Personnel (Main Contributors)
- Bonjo Iyabinghi Noah – Percussion, vocals
- Adrian Sherwood – Production, mixing, effects (as Prisoner / Crocodile)
- Sunny Akpan – Congas, percussion
- Skip McDonald (B. Alexander) – Guitar, keyboards
- Martin Frederix – Bass, programming, mixing (selected tracks)
- Style Scott (L. V. Scott) – Drums
- Carlton “Bubblers” Ogilvie – Piano
- Junior Moses – Bass
- Additional musicians and vocal samples from various global sources
Search for “African Head Charge Songs of Praise” on Amazon.com
Search for “African Head Charge Songs of Praise” on Apple Music