I worked with a West African guy at my last job, and the dude was constantly tuning the radio to the country station. I thought he was taking the piss until it became obvious that he knew the words to pretty much every song in regular rotation. Yes, Africans love country music. I’m not quite sure why, but I’ve got more than a few African records in my collection so I’ll just keep it moving. Nigerian bands have incorporated cowboy songs into their live sets for years, but only a small handful got down to business and recorded original tunes. Comb & Razor, who previously compiled rural Nigerian funk on Calabar-Itu Road: Groovy Sounds From South Eastern Nigeria and Nigerian boogie on Brand New Wayo: Funk, Fast Times & Nigerian Boogie Badness, come through with an unprecedented collection of Nigerian country recordings for RSD 2017. These musicians’ D.I.Y. disposition and non-purist approach to country and western make for some of the most experimental arrangements in the genre; peep the synthesizer lead on Rennie Cottonheart’s “No More Love In This Town”, or the crunchy drum machine on Emma Ogosi’s “Slave Drivers” for a true wig flip.

• double vinyl pressing
• limited edition
• 2000 copies pressed
• music label: Comb & Razor Sound

reviewed by dj winyl destination 05/2017