By Michael J. West | Published August 2026
Vocalist Akua Allrich isn’t shy about the themes in her work: pan-Africanism; politics, racial and otherwise; Black womanhood; and spirituality, including the gods of the West African Akan people (who she thanks in her liner notes). Indeed, shyness is not in her performing vocabulary: Maryland-based Allrich has a robust, booming alto voice that she further imbues with powerful presence. It seems at first to belie the title Bonya, which she initially translates as “humility”; she elaborates, however, that Bonya is “the practice of listening deeply and allowing Spirit to speak, create and inspire.”
Indeed, it does exactly that. This live performance in Baltimore includes takes on Nina Simone’s “Four Women” and Billie Holiday’s “Fine And Mellow”: signature pieces by two of Allrich’s heroes. Some singers would be trapped in the composers’ outsize personas; Allrich, unintimidated, inhabits both songs completely. She pushes ahead of the beat on “Fine And Mellow” where Holiday famously fell behind, then scats with all her might through one chorus, yet sacrifices none of the blues flavor (thanks in part to bassist Kris Funn, in whom Allrich has a splendid musical partner). On Simone’s song, she simply lets her confidence and conviction burst forth, sounding only like herself. (Funn remains a solid partner, but Samuel Prather’s piano, Brent Birckhead’s alto saxophone and Tyler Leak’s patient drum line are also essential).
Much more stunning music occurs. Allrich transforms Randy Newman’s “Baltimore” into a reggae-fied shout, Prather’s echoey Rhodes giving it a faint dub vibe. Her own compositions, the joyful “Bonya” and the soulful ballad “Push And Pull,” arrive with as much weight and presence as everything else. If there is a missing element here, it’s intimacy; even on “Push And Pull,” both Allrich’s power and the sound of the room are very much on display. But that’s OK. The Spirit that Allrich allows to speak, create and inspire on Bonya is delivering its message not to a small group of listeners, but to the world.
