Jah Wobble's Invaders Of The Heart - Take Me To God (1994)

After he'd been a fixture of the British new wave/punk/underground/alternative scene since the late '70s, 1994's Take Me to God marked Jah Wobble's first major commercial success as a solo artist, reaching number 13 in the U.K. The use of numerous guest musicians (including Can drummer Jaki Leibezeit) gives this a feel of a rotating collective, with Wobble (who plays several instruments here in addition to the one he's most known for, bass) the constant. Quite a few singers contribute, giving this more of a song-oriented feel than some of his other work, some of the more celebrated including Gavin Friday, Dolores O'Riordan of the Cranberries, Senegalese vocalist Baaba Maal, and top world music artist Najma Akhtar. The 66-minute length of these sprawling excursions almost inevitably means the program will drag at times, according to your musical inclinations. Lyrically, too, it's so varied as to make it difficult to connect with a pronounced attitude or viewpoint, the concerns ranging from the almost indecipherably frivolous ("Yoga of the Nightclub") to the numerous references to God that pepper the song titles. But it's an interesting assortment of tracks combining currents flowing through mid-'90s alternative rock, world music, reggae, club beats, dub, and African pop, adding up to an extremely heterogeneous whole.

Review by Richie Unterberger, Allmusic.com

This multitextured album incorporates world, trance and dub styles into a very cohesive and enjoyable mix. A rich array of singers from different traditions and an innovative instrumental mix ensure plenty of variety.

The first two tracks are mellow mid-tempo numbers with lovely vocal arrangements. Sung partly in Spanish by Ximena Tascon, Whisky Priests has a Latin American rhythm and great guitars. North Africa is next, with the track I'm An Algerian sung by Abel Ali Slimani and then it's Latin again with Amor and then Jamaican with some ragga style vocals by Chaka Demus on Amor Dub.

The title track is a mix of soul and Middle Eastern, whilst the buoyant The Sun Does Rise is a beautiful anthemic pop ballad. If it weren't, this song should have been a hit. When The Storm Comes is a jazzy ballad whilst I Love Everybody is a stream of consciousness poem with a spiritual message. A highlight of the album, Yoga Of The Nightclub is an atmospheric trance number with a hypnotic beat and innovative vocal arrangements.

The interesting sonic mix of Angels includes Baaba Maal on vocals and Massamba Diop on talking drum for an African ambience whilst the next track Raga takes the listener to India, with vocals by Najma Akhtar. The album concludes with Forever, a tuneful pop ballad. The impressive stylistic scope and a high proportion of melodious songs make this album a pleasurable listening experience.

Review by Peter Uys, Amazon.com