Bark Out Thunder Roar Out Lightning, released in July 2023, marks a big turning point for Chief Adjuah — it’s the first time he steps away from his trumpet and leans fully into new sonic territory. Adjuah builds and plays his own instruments on this one (including his “Bow” and n’goni), emphasizing rhythm, ritual, and ancestral roots. The sound blends West African folk with the deep traditions of New Orleans, and you can hear percussive layers, chants, and ceremonial textures everywhere.

The songs feel like ceremonies themselves. From “Blood Calls Blood” through the title track, there’s a mixture of urgency, reverence, and raw energy — sometimes loud and overwhelming, other times soft and introspective. Adjuah draws on things that are both personal and communal: honoring lineage, celebrating cultural practices like Black Masking Indians, referencing roots in Creole and Indigenous traditions, and remembering elders of his New Orleans home.

It might not be the most immediately accessible record for people expecting conventional jazz or standard song structures, but repeated listens reveal its depth. There’s power in how it merges past, present, and future: the way ritual, folklore, and modern sound design intersect. For many, this album is a vivid reminder that music can be an archive, a protest, a prayer, and a celebration all at once.