Reviewed by Martin I Smith

We Brits are mostly unawares but 'The Storms' is actually Ghanaian artist Daniel Ayisi's third album. Its immediate predecessor was given a thick coat of hip-hop, and prior to that Mr Ayisi wasn't even singing in English. Unfortunately, even with the fully fleshed out narrative of this record's roots, the sound probably wouldn't make a great deal of sense. There is a murky quality to it that occludes the edges of its musical shape and blurs its components into a violently cohesive and compressed centre of auditory in-fighting. This partly stems from a depletion of dynamics; the songs rarely shift pace or allow particular melodies to breathe, rather each sonic force is breathing down the other's back. There are some sweet reggae guitar grooves to be had and retro keys to be relished, but you just desire a little more space to admire them from all angles. This would all be a lot more easy on the ears if the production wasn't so foggy but as it is the sounds are too clumped together. Sadly, Daniel's voice, which is certainly deserving of better, sounds half-submerged most of the time. With more thought to structure and presentation, the potential here will be better exploited.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

Interested in reviewing music? Find out more here.