African Fantasy

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[13]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music	[10]
The Guardian	[14]

The Washington City Paper called the album "a seamless but mostly not-too-slick meld of African and Indian traditional and pop styles, with a bit of jazz and a splash of circa-1978 Steve Reich."^[15] The Birmingham Post stated that "traditional instruments like the sitar, harmonium and tablas are blended with synthesizer and the bouncy bass of Kai Eckhardt de Camargo—ancient and modern as one."^[16]

The Guardian concluded that "the stronger tracks have a rhythmic propulsion and melodic flair reminiscent of the Zawinul Syndicate, while the worst sound like a bid for crossover radio-play appeal."^[14] The New York Times determined that the songs "easily juggle multiple systems of rhythm, melody, structure and timbre... Those systems don't melt down to find some innocuous common denominator; instead, various approaches move in and out of the music's foreground, overlapping when it's possible and taking turns when it's not."^[17]

AllMusic wrote that there are "striking juxtapositions, and there is some wonderful playing... But the concept of an Indian/African fusion remains a fantasy, at least in this execution of it."^[13]