Paul Collins (All Music Guide)

With the breakup of the Police, the band members found themselves free to indulge their personal musical obsessions. And so while Sting made a very lucrative venture into working with jazz musicians — a logical step for a bassist — Stewart Copeland made a drummer's pilgrimage to Africa. Combining field recordings with Copeland's multi-instrumental work in an Assyrian studio, The Rhythmatist is light years ahead of his sophomorically amiable work as Klark Kent. The album and accompanying video didn't make much of a dent in any market, except among fellow drummers and die-hard Police fans. It's an unfortunate oversight, because its enthusiastic world music fusion has held up better than the other Police solo efforts of this period. The album as a whole focuses on (not surprisingly) the rhythm section of tastefully syncopated drums and percussion against a backdrop of atmospheric synthesizers. Ray Lema's chorused vocals over the pulsing beat of "Koteja" are absolutely hypnotic, while Copeland's dry narration after the clattering drum solo of "Serengetti Long Walk" is awkwardly endearing.

Ira Robbins

Copeland's second solo record is the soundtrack to an African safari video. Described on the sleeve as "a curious blend of musical snatches from Tanzania, Kenya, Burundi, Zaire, the Congo and Buckinghamshire," The Rhythmatist is variously a rock album with Africanisms layered on and a rock interpretation (or imitation) thereof. The blurry line between what is genuine and what Copeland has made of whole Anglo-American cloth is disturbing, to say the least, and there's obviously real African music where this dubious rock star contraption came from. Still, the invigorating record sounds lovely, especially thanks to his collaborator, Zairean vocalist Ray Lema".

David Menconi

The Rhythmatist, an A&M import. Copeland takes a truly arrogant premise (a documentary film and soundtrack of a white rock drummer traveling around Africa "in search of his rhythmic roots'), but somehow manages to turn it into a surprisingly warm, inspired record. Using his brilliant 1983 score to Francis Ford Coppola's "Rumblefish' as a takeoff point, Copeland adds tribal chants, percussion and vocals. The result is decidedly refreshing and low-key, not unlike "Rumblefish' with King Sunny Ade sitting in. Copeland can't sing to save his life, but his deadpan monologue on "Serengetti Long Walk' ("The jungle is full of animals the size of donkeys, eating and being eaten; it's a barnyard sound') is funny enough to make up for it. I'd never have bet on Stewart Copeland's post-Police output to top Sting's, but he's one-up for now.

© Frank Steven Groen