Artist Occidental Brothers Dance Band International

Chicago's Occidental Brothers Dance Band International includes two members from Ghana—vocalist Kofi Cromwell and drummer Asamoah Rambo—but it's Michigan-reared guitarist Nathaniel Braddock who makes the band's take on highlife, soukos, and other West African sounds stand out among the African-pop pack. Cromwell's trumpet and festive crowd interaction help to balance out Braddock's nerdy tech-whiz presence in the live setting, and so does the incredible rhythmic sharpness of the band as a whole. The band's 2009 album, Odo Sanbra, maintains its bright, sympathetic hold on the band's influences through up-tempo party numbers, laid-back grooves, and a cover of New Order's "Bizarre Love Triangle" that somehow works out just fine. 

Updated 01/18/2010