Afrissippi isn’t so much a band as it is a project that explores the oft-discussed link between the Blues and African music. The blues in this case is the North Mississippi hill-country style most identified with master practitioners like Junior Kimbrough and R.L. Burnside; while the African music on hand is specifically the guitar and singing of Guelel Kumba. No information is given about Kumba’s background or the project’s specifics, and that’s part of the problem with this disc. The music doesn’t make enough of a coherent statement to do the talking for itself, so this is that rare case where more liner notes would help. 

The other problem is in the playing and singing of the Mississippi musicians. Jimbo Mathus contributes some nice slide guitar, but primary guitarists Eric Deaton and Jeff Henson lack the cranked-amp distortion and overtones necessary to the North Mississippi style. Things get worse when Deaton sings the traditional “Hands Off That Girl” in a manner so studied and stiff that you almost cringe for him.

That said, Kumba’s songs are enjoyable and John Sinclair delivers a fine spoken-word performance on the title track, but Afrissippi would benefit if the players turned up and let go a bit more.