S.E. Rogie Dead Men Don't Smoke Marijuana LP (Purple Vinyl)

Dead Men Don't Smoke Marijuana is the last album by the beloved singer/songwriter S.E Rogie. A collection of fingerpicked acoustic guitar tunes rooted in the palm wine style of Sierre Leone, Rogie's birthplace, and tinged with gospel, reggae, country and blues, it was released to acclaim in 1994 and has become an indisputable classic. No wonder: to listen to this wryly titled recording is to soothe the soul. To be transported to a gentle, unhurried place where songs called things like "Jaimgba Tutu (The Joy of Success)" and "Nyalomei Luange (Love Me My Love)" tell life lessons in Krio and English over the sweetest of melodies, in a silky baritone sung from the heart.

"Count your blessings, sisters and brothers," croons Rogie on "African Gospel," his sentiments uplifted by call-and-response vocals, the chiming highlife guitar of Ghana's Alfred Kari Bannerman and the rhythmic double bass of Danny Thompson, an Englishman whose ability to get to the heart of a piece is palpable - and whose unlikely presence is part of the work's uniqueness. Rogie's nearly fifty-year career was sprinkled with highlights. But it is this album, his swansong - he passed away a few weeks after its release - which endures. Ageing like a fine wine, indeed.

...[T]he atmospheric, carefree feel of the tunes conjures up images of relaxing times on breezy beaches watching lush, tropical sunsets. Rogie's lilting guitar, backed only by standup bass and subtle percussion, has a rootsy folk-blues feel, while his soothing, buttery baritone caresses you like a warm Caribbean wind. With traditional African call-and-response vocals, the music comes off like a cross between the laid-back island rhythms of reggae, the back-porch vibe of rustic blues, and the spiritual feel of Ladysmith Black Mambazo, making this a sweet, stirring testament to an undeservedly little-known talent.