Africa’s sole release was the 1968 LP Music From ‘Lil Brown,’ but the group’s musicians had been playing together (in various forms) as doo-wop group The Valiants since 1955. In 1960 they teamed up with Lou Adler, the music industry bigwig later known for managing The Mamas & the Papas, producing Carole King’s Tapestry, and discovering Cheech & Chong. Adler produced Music from ‘Lil Brown,’ but sadly, despite his fame the album has stayed relatively unheard and hard to come by.

The title and artwork of the record are clear nods to the Band’s Music from Big Pink, whose raw country-soul style was big influence on Africa’s sound. Music From ‘Lil Brown’ is a succinct seven songs — nearly half of which are covers. But Africa makes them their own with their distinct acoustic arrangements. The aforementioned “Light My Fire” keeps the Doors’ psychedelic vibe, but trades the extended organ soloing for loose campfire jam. Album opener “Paint It Black” is stretched out with mostly wordless vocals and reverb-drenched conga percussion. And the oddest track on the album is a surprising medley of “Louie Louie” and Bobby Gentry’s 1967 number one hit “Ode to Billie Joe,” but it works.

- Max Kritzer Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.