Review: World-Beat

World-Beat is Charles Williams and tom Teasley's second record to date. The Soul Dances reverberates each muscle to move and act, to embrace a natural happiness within oneself.  The majority of the songs on The Soul Dances incorporate African proverbs with spirituals.

On Ise Oluwa Kole Baje O (Nigerian translation: God’s work will never be spoiled) Williams' spoken words are spewed proverbs, "Not to know is bad, not to wish to know is worse" and "It's better to travel alone than with a bad companion." "Babethandaza pounds a haunted mantra inside your ears, one of spiritual conquest, given to us by the percussion of Tom Teasley.

The hand claps on "I know I've been changed" are evangelical-warming and should have opened up world-Beat. Instead Williams and Teasley choose to evoke the African God of fire in Shango with several background vocals, a djembe, and a conche shell.

"Silence is also Speech" Williams says on Balafon; seconds later shakers are rattling, creating quite the dichotomy between the wisdom inherent on music.  Harriet Tubman tells "Harriett to run, Harriett run" and enlists the African people to dance in unison.  These "Dancing souls" are in reverence.

 JazzReview.com