Ben Jagga - Hold on Pretty Woman (2019) [Hi-Res]

Ben Jagga's long-deleted sole solo release is the epitome of Tabansi/Taretone soul-funk-boogie-disco in its prime, and is very much a family affair. This is the first-ever reissue.Producer is Ephraim Nzeka (of Brother To Brother fame, as 'Ephraim'), and backing vocals come courtesy of artists all with their own solo efforts out on the label: Bummy Olajubu, Judith Ezekoka, Zak Roberts, Eric Kol and Nkem Njoku (see the BBE reissue catalogue for killer LPs from the last two artists, in particular). Instrumentation is a tight, stripped-down unit: bass, guitar, drums and keyboards - and the mixdown man is Martin Ikebuaku, one of the unsung geniuses of the West African boogie sound, with literally hundreds of well-regarded sessions on almost every major Nigerian label under his belt. The album has long been in-demand among outernational boogie fans, and usually changes hands privately for princely sums (as of the date of writing these notes, it's never been offered for sale on Discogs, probably the world's leading rare vinyl sales site).