I Have My Liberty!: Gospel Sounds From Accra, Ghana

I Have My Liberty! Gospel Sounds From Accra, Ghana is an album of sounds and performances recorded live in 2008 from the churches of Ghana's capital city. This album is the missing link between American gospel records by artists like Rev. Johnny L. Jones and traditional African artists like those featured on Opika Pende: Africa At 78 RPM.Amid Accra's bustling sprawl of swirling dust and exhaust, are countless havens for homegrown musical expression: charismatic and spiritual Christian churches. There, distorted PA systems, anchored by female singers, and ramshackle guitars played by a rotating cast of local men weave in and out of popular melodies, bringing congregations to their feet. Singers emote in repeated phrases, lifted by tambourines, claps, and percussion, to unite their voices in praise and worship. I Have My Liberty! Gospel Sounds From Accra, Ghana takes listeners into these churches, where congregations join together to process the anxieties of their West African metropolis. Recorded and edited by Calpin Hoffman-Williamson, a Philadelphia-based producer and audio engineer.