In Search of the Lost Riddim
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| In Search of the Lost Riddim | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1998 | |||
| Length | 70:14 | |||
| Label | Palm Pictures[1] | |||
| Producer | Ernest Ranglin, Ira Coleman, Bart Fermie | |||
| Ernest Ranglin chronology | ||||
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In Search of the Lost Riddim is an album by the Jamaican musician Ernest Ranglin, released in 1998.[2][3] It was among the first releases from Chris Blackwell's Palm Pictures label; Blackwell's Island Records had signed Ranglin in the 1950s.[4] The album title refers to Ranglin's decades-long absence from making music in Africa.[5] Ranglin supported the album by playing North American shows with Baaba Maal.[6] The album was a success on the Specialist albums chart in the United Kingdom.[7]
Recorded in Dakar, Senegal, with members of Maal's band, the album was produced by Ranglin, Ira Coleman, and Bart Fermie.[8][9][10] Ranglin wrote three of the 11 songs.[11] Maal sang on "Minuit" and "Haayo"; Maal and Mansour Seck also played guitar.[12][13] Dion Parson played drums on the tracks.[14] A balafon was used on a few tracks, as were koras and tamas.[5][15]
Critical reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| The Age |   [13] |
| AllMusic | [16] |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [17] |
| Houston Press | [9] |
| MusicHound World: The Essential Album Guide |  [15] |
| Orlando Sentinel | [5] |
Orlando Weekly called the album "an intoxicating aural bath that matches Ranglin's eclectic six-string leads and fills and the steady bass work of Ira Coleman with traditional percussion and string instruments and luxurious chanting and singing."[18] The Guardian deemed it "a gently rhythmic, refreshingly original and contemporary-sounding fusion that is both joyful, subtle, and remarkably classy."[19] The Sydney Morning Herald considered it "a beautifully recorded album—an all-acoustic session using just percussion, stringed instruments and vocals—with the relaxed, celebratory atmosphere of musicians reaching across the diaspora to find common ground."[20]
The Financial Times labeled In Search of the Lost Riddim "a lovely, sunny sound, all tinkling guitars and delicious variations of rhythm."[21] Newsday wrote that "Ranglin's fat, juicy notes on his electric guitar blend in perfectly with the acoustic accompaniment of the Senegalese musicians."[12] The Observer noted that "the music is filled with Ranglin's melodious warmth and easy good nature."[22]
AllMusic wrote that "the English bass and drums style gets all mixed up here with reggae and Afro-pop, resulting in a scintillating dance party."[16]
