Sierra Leone’s Refugee All Stars

Living like a Refugee

The musicians who comprise Sierra Leone’s Refugee All Stars recorded Living like a Refugee after some catastrophic hardships. Victims of a civil war that raged through the African country in the ’90s, the men bonded together at a refugee camp in Guinea, and officially formed a group after returning to their native land and hitting the studio — a journey captured by San Francisco filmmakers Zach Niles and Banker White in the acclaimed documentary The Refugee All Stars. Living like a Refugee is the result of those sessions. The band plays reggae, folk, highlife and goombay rhythms, and the melodic tone — highlighted by Ashade Pearce’s light guitar work — is unwavering. Much of the Refugee All Stars’ music is buoyant and joyful to a fault. But group leader Reuben M. Koroma’s vocals on politically tinged numbers such as “Smile,” where he says, “We need some positive change,” is a necessary reminder of why the album exists in the first place. 3 stars

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Sierra Leone’s Refugee All Stars plays at the Roxy Theatre Sat., Oct. 21.