The Solution Is Restless - Joan As Police Woman, Tony Allen, Dave Okumu (2021)

Joan Wasser–who records under the name Joan As Police Woman–is an endlessly fascinating and restless musician. She definitely has “a sound” of her own, but she keeps finding new and interesting ways of expressing it. This album came out of a jam session with Afrobeat icon and Fela Kuti drummer Tony Allen shortly before his death in 2020. Wasser and Okumu worked with the original tracks and built a great album out of them.

This is all about atmosphere. There’s a slinky after-hours feel to everything here. When it does get to driving, it’s almost menacing. But there’s still a lot of languid bass and slowly unfolding vocals even on those tracks. Allen’s drum work is understated and occasionally buried in the mix, but it always shines through how much he provides the heartbeat to these songs.

Tracks I liked

Take Me To Your Leader - purposeful and rumbling, with such a great beat

Enter The Dragon - a scorching vocal

Geometry Of You - the best song here, with a catchy hook and a complex beat