MANSA MUSA - Hold on to the Faith (CreelBear Family) LP Although another excellent archi-val find from Trinidad and Tobego by Cree Records, this is far more than just a Carribean release. In fact, the occasional steel drum is the only indication that this is a West Indies record at all.
Sometimes the instru-mentation is little more than hand drums and electric bass, throbbing below a captivating, primal chant; other times, fuller arrangements—with sinewy guitar and raucous sax—are reminiscent of artists like Olatunji and Osibisa. The original release of this per-cussive gem fetches hundreds of dollars, when you even see it offered at all; this first-ever reissue is done with the care typical of Bear Family (of which Cree is a subsidiary): thick virgin vinyl, exact repro & pristine astering. (Alex Stimmel)