Album: Various artists, Ghana Special 1968-81, Soundway Recordings

As raw, rocky and funky as its predecessor, Nigeria Special, this is also a companion album to the Ghana Soundz compilations of a few years ago.

These two CDs provide a fascinating overview of a vibrant period in the country's music history when the big dance bands of the 1950s and 1960s had been supplanted by a harder, more urgent music influenced by the urban grooves of black America. Compiler Miles Cleret is no slouch – he spent nearly 10 years collecting this material. It was worth the effort.