My friend, the Music Academic Richard Elliott has a fascinating substack called Songs & Objects He shares his thoughts and reflections here on music and musicians he's interested in and inspired to write about. I'm grateful to him for this and it leads me to a range of things I might not otherwise be aware of.
One of the artists he writes about is Exuma, the Bahamian Outsider Artist who blends Folk, Carnival, Calypso, Reggae and African stylings. His music is best sampled on 1970 record Exuma, The Obeah Man. It's a cauldron. Almost as if Nina Simone and Dr John are meeting at midnight at the crossroads..
There's plenty of voodoo related imagery here. Exuma's raging voice also evokes Marley and the righteous ire at work in Carribean and Afro American traditions. McFarlane McKay, the man behind the Exuma person, stresses that healing is at the core of his vision. It's a heady brew.
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