"WESTWEST AFRICA is also a praise song for the late historian, Sterling Stuckey. Stuckey’s philosophies on the influence of African culture in identity formation among enslaved people of African descent inform Scales’ musical expression. Stuckey’s legacy bears fruit in WWA as the compositions travel a circular path through various musical genres and global regions. Via Afrobeat, Funk, jazz-fusion, spoken word, and New Orleans Blues from Guinea to Atlanta and back, Scales takes listeners on a virtual “ring shout.” Like Stuckey’s work, Scales’ musical tour circuits the Atlantic World. In essence, Scales’ expeditions allow him to deliver listeners a musical harvest in the form of an African/Diasporic sonic history." - Kenja McCray, PhD Associate Professor of History Atlanta Metropolitan State College