Produced by the red-hot groove team of Robbie Malinga and Moja- lefa “Mjojo” Thebe, I Am an African aims squarely for the Afro-electro-pop market currently dominated by West African megastars like D’Banj. It’s a pity that the debut solo offering by the Gang of Instrumentals’ toastmaster is let down by too many fillers, though. “With You Tonight”, for instance, boasts some of the most cringeworthy “lover’s jam” lyrics you’re likely to hear this side of Rebecca Black. The best moments on I Am an African are not when Riot (he dropped the “Bongo” along with the dreads) is hellbent on get- ting his ragga atop of floor-filling dancehall grooves. Instead, the soul fire flows organically on several of the less ambitious songs. “Ngiyohlala Ngithandaza” is a terrific unbundling of his born-again beliefs. But it’s his duet with Afro-pop princess Zahara, “Thetha Nami”, that impresses, contrasting her soulful soar with his own rough-hewn rasp.