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Artist
Sierra Leone's Refugee All Stars
12+ albums
reggaesierra leoneafricanworldafrica
about
Sierra Leone’s Refugee All Stars started playing music together in West African refugee camps while their homeland was being racked by years of bloody warfare. Since then, audiences around the world have embraced the band and their utterly extraordinary story. On their forthcoming album, Rise & Shine, the All Stars’ sound, as well as their biography, evolves further; the music finds them “establishing an identity based as much on skill, imagination and charisma as on their undeniably touching story” (The Los Angeles Times). Cumbancha will release the album on March 23, 2010. For the follow up to their acclaimed debut, Living Like a Refugee, the band began recording in their hometown of Freetown, Sierra Leone then traveled to New Orleans, Louisiana to work with the highly accomplished producer Steve Berlin (Los Lobos, Angélique Kidjo, Rickie Lee Jones, Michelle Shocked, Alec Ounsworth, Jackie Greene) at Piety Street Recording. The All Stars immediately felt at home in New Orleans, not only because the hot climate and spicy food reminded them of Africa, but also because the residents of the Crescent City have firsthand experience with the bitterness of exile and the redemptive power of music. The local musicians who contributed to the record—including favorites Troy “Trombone Shorty” Andrews, Bonerama and Washboard Chaz—lend it an infectious spirit of celebration and optimism in the face of struggle. Rise & Shine reflects how far the band has come in the past few years, afte
why this is interesting
# Why This Album Matters This album invites us to examine how music functions as both survival and transformation. The All Stars' journey—from refugee camps to international stages—could easily become a narrative of trauma overcome, yet *Rise & Shine* suggests something more complex: musicians deepening their craft while remaining rooted in their lived experience. The LA Times observation about skill and imagination proves crucial here; the group refuses the role of testimonial oddity, instead asserting themselves as serious artists whose identity encompasses but transcends their history. For listeners curious about how meaning emerges from displacement, or how musical traditions adapt and flourish across continents, this album offers genuine substance rather than sentiment.
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