From the South Carolina Lowcountry, where life is laced with
African ways, comes Ranky Tanky, a quintet with music rooted in a culture that
has shaped American art, food, language and attitude. Their eponymous album on
Resilience Music Alliance celebrates that culture, its people and their mother
tongue, Gullah.
"Gullah" comes from West African language and
means "a people blessed by God." "Ranky Tanky" translates
loosely as "Work It," or "Get Funky!" In this spirit the
quintet performs timeless music of Gullah culture born in the southeastern Sea
Island region of the United States. From playful game songs to ecstatic shouts,
from heartbreaking spirituals to delicate lullabies, the musical roots of
Charleston, SC are "rank" and fertile ground from which these
contemporary artists are grateful to have grown.
The soulful songs of the Gullah culture are brought to life
by this band who mix the low country traditions with large doses of jazz,
gospel, funk, and R&B. Fresh out of college, trumpeter Charlton Singleton,
guitarist Clay Ross, bassist Kevin Hamilton, and drummer Quentin Baxter
originally worked together as an in-demand jazz quartet on the Charleston scene
in the late 1990s before splitting off to each make their way as freelance
musicians, working with names like Houston Person, Freddy Cole, Cyro Baptista,
and René Marie. Gaining years of valuable experience while developing a deeper
appreciation for the Gullah tradition they came from, the band reformed with
the dynamic vocalist Quiana Parler to celebrate the bone-deep mix of spirituals
and gutbucket blues--music made by a self-contained culture of descendants of
enslaved Africans that introduced such indelible parts of American songbook as
"Kum Bah Yah" and "Michael Rowed the Boat Ashore."
A distinct Gullah pulse anchors each selection of this
recording. A pulse originating in Africa, that beats in the heart of American
music. This vibrant, life affirming pulse propels Gullah stories, essential to
the human experience, through evocative and timeless folk melodies imbibed with
the mysteries of nature and the essence of life.
Ranky Tanky opens up with the spirited "That's
Alright" as it features call and response between the horn section and
vocals before breaking down into a tambourine-driven bridge. The ballad
"Turtle Dove" begins with a tom drum pattern that carries throughout
its entirety and features both trumpet and guitar solos that place the groups
unity and cohesiveness at the forefront. Parler's vocal prowess is on display
for "Been in the Storm" as she opens the track a cappella but quickly
becomes accented with detuned drums and expressive cymbal swells.
The title track demonstrates the band's funky roots as the
chorus is consumed with upbeat claps and danceable guitar riffs. Another balled
"O Death," uses extensive backing vocal harmonies to highlight the
dark and ominous theme of the song, while the use of claps and tambourine
returns on "Knee Bone," recalling the Gullah culture before
showcasing a Ross solo.
The record continues with the swung "You Gotta
Move" and "Watch that Star," both propelled by religious themed
lyrics and punctuated with guitar chords and arpeggios. "Sink Em Low"
relies on the deep pocket formed between Baxter and Ross as Parler's showcases
her beautiful vocal range over it. "Join the Band" once again
displays the groove-oriented base that is always at the core of this band, relying
on syncopated drums and vocal rhythms. The last three songs on the record are a
perfect summation to the release as they boast the full range of the group.
They include the soothing guitar ballad "Go to Sleep," the
shuffle-based "You Better Mind," and "Goodbye Song," an
up-tempo guitar driven dance song.
Today, emerging from the heart of this still fertile
cultural epicenter, Ranky Tanky is the next generation to illuminate Gullah
worldwide. Among them we find some of Charleston's most celebrated and
accomplished contemporary artists who share a lifetime of musical collaboration
and mutual admiration.
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