One of the most fascinating elements of the artistic impulse is its ability to thrive under adversity, a fact attested to by countless artists the world over whose stories are every bit as striking as their creative endeavours. In Sierra Leone's Kondi Band, music has surely gained another act in the annals of its true survivors.
Blind from birth, Kondi Band mastermind Sorie Kondi first attempted to begin his recording career over twenty years ago, plans that were brutally interrupted when, as part of the country's than long-standing civil war, his home city of Freetown was assaulted in 1999. The master tapes for Kondi's debut LP were lost and, in the ensuing chaos, he lost contact with his producer too. Ultimately, it wouldn't be until 2007 that he'd find himself in a studio again—having worked as a street musician in the meantime—and, more recently, the Kondi Band's debut full-length appeared in 2016. Now, a half-decade on, the group return with We Famous, a collection of ten new cuts every bit as idiosyncratic and engaging as Kondi's prior output.
Appearing courtesy of the UK's long-running Strut Records, We Famous' vinyl release hits shelves as a heavyweight slab of black wax. It's a well-produced LP, boasting crisp audio throughout. The soundstage is every bit as immediate as the compositions themselves and the album's vinyl release reflects that well, with tidy audio being free of any notable surface noise. Although we could spot a few surface abrasion marks on our copy—likely present as a result of the coarse, non-polylined generic paper inner sleeve—these marks were light and certainly didn't cause any issues with playback. The record is also free of warpage in the case of our copy...which is always a relief, as such flaws are all-too-common on new records from certain pressing plants.
Presented in a handsome gatefold sleeve, We Famous is certainly a strikingly presented release. Adorned with an eye-catching portrait of Kondi himself, the photography found on both the front and back covers—in addition to the inner gatefold spread—is reproduced with sharp definition and vivid colours. The cardstock that the sleeve has been produced from is also impressive and, overall, the cover had a definite air of high-quality that isn't often found in the case of single disc releases which tend, on average (though not without exception), to be presented in comparatively modest non-gatefold sleeves. Boasting tidy audio, engaging music and classy presentation, We Famous is certainly an album which seems ideally designed to be enjoyed on vinyl.
