Africa music reviews

This music is awesome. The songs are addictive. They are upbeat, happy, but soulfelt at the same time. The sound is very authentic- pure and natural. The singer/songwriter sounds like has has had a deep, rich life and came out on top.

This collection of songs from Mr.Mtukudzi, the pre-eminent singer and musician from Zimbabwe, is solid gold. I don't own all of his CD's, but here, Mtukutdzi and his band combine to make a perfect combination of musical harmony. "Wongororo" is the perfect dance number to shake your thing to at a club or at home. Oliver has been doing this for 20+ years, and his craftsmanship is at it's peek here.

I love Tuku and his music, I have loved every single one of his CDs. Each time he records new music I think this is it, nothing could possibly beat this... This CD is so inspirational and full of wisdom, it makes you stop and think. I keep playing it over and over again and I cannot get enough. I hope you enjoy it too. I can hardly wait for Oliver's new music. Way to go homeboy!!!!!

I first heard Lucky Dube's music while visiting the Caribbean. The sound so captured my attention that I just had to order this CD upon returning to the States.

Dube's incredible vocal range alone is well worth a listen, but combine that with South African instrumentation and a Reggae style reminicent of Marley / Tosh...you just can't go wrong with this one.

Some times i use to ask myself many questions:how come the man like him (Lucky Dube)use to sing about what will happen in the future e.g crazy world "people are dieng like fries" it's an old song but nowadays people are every day as a result of war&crimes,hunger,environmental factors etc.guys keep on tune to reggea music just for a peace of word it says as the kill of the pain, let Jah kingdom be praised. in the name of Jah i can say keep on touch JAH!

South Africa's "King of Reggae", Lucky Dube, comes on strong with 1999's award winning release "The Way It Is" As always, Dube showcases his diverse style mixing his African roots with today's popular sound. This release is a textured mixture of South African rhythms, Spanish guitars, and a bit of a rock n roll flavored guitar work reminicent of Pink Floyd on the track "Man in The City". Dube makes the most of his incredible vocal range as never before on many of the cd's tracks, most notably on "The Show Goes On" and "Man in The Mirror". This cd is a "must have" for Reggae and World Music lovers as it's diversity crosses over into the realm of popular music, that can be enjoyed by everyone today.

I stumbled upon on this is a used cd bin and took a chance because it looked intresting. Holy cow! What an album. Very refreshing guitar work and intresting arrangements of folk melodies make this one of the finest cd's I've heard all year. Talented musician that should be better known. Now to check out his other albums. A++++++++

Danny Heines is a truly gifted talent. His music is peaceful and inspiring without being derivative or overproduced. It is original and fresh without being too different to enjoy. The guy has an ear for what works, and is never redundant. This latest of many fine efforts adds unique vocals for just the right amount of flavor and fleshing out of his artful tunes. Make a gift of this cd to someone you appreciate. Money well spent.

This is the best album I have bought so far this year. Danny Heines is simply amazing. He loves his music and it shows.

Mahlasela has been compared to martyred Chilean protest singer Victor Jara and his melodic songs of yearning described as African Folk. Inevitably he will also be mentioned in the same breath as Robert Wyatt for the political themes of some of his songs. Labels aside, his soulful voice which dips and soars effortlessly from tremulous alto to celestial falsetto is backed by an exquisite mix of guitar, flute, pennywhistle, sax, drums, percussion, bass and keyboards to clothe the poetic lyrics in raiments of sonic ecstacy. No wonder Vusi refers to his singing style as "muso-poetry". Since the album forms such a cohesive whole it's a bit unfair to single out certain songs, but those that speak to the soul with great immediacy include the title track, Epitoli, Gijimane Masotsha, Hello Mams, In Solitary Confinement and especially the almost supernaturally beautiful Tonkana with its African veld samples (cattle lowing etc). No one who grew up on the African continent will be unmoved by this song. This album is as beautiful and accessible as Paul Simon's Graceland.

Like the previous reviewer, I noticed that SA music had lost it's headline acts to the international stage , for better or worse. Then came Vusi. This album is enriched by a mixture of soulful, evocative lyrics which will make a hardened expat cry, coupled with Vusi's incredible voice and his ability to reach his audience naturally without showmanship. Buy it now, you will not regret it. I have bought it several times, only to give it to people to whom I have played it. It is very difficult to make music out of something as harsh as Apartheid and its after effects without sounding strident and trite. Vusi knows how.

When I was there in 1995, I found South Africa's music scene to be fairly barren. The country's great artists -- Johnny Clegg, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Ray Phiri, Hugh Masekela and a handful of others -- had ascended to a global stage, but there had been very little updraft. The biggest influences on music seemed to be bad American pop & rap. I came across Vusi Mahlasela (mot-la-say-la) with a great deal of relief. Here was an artist who combined incredible harmony and a lilting voice (in several languages) with powerful commentary on the post-apartheid scene evolving around him. The title track on this album, for example, is an incredible celebration of exiles returning to South Africa in celebration. Other tracks address retribution and reconciliation. This is a great one and I hope Vusi emerges as one of South Africa's new stars!

Wow what can be send about a classic? Vampire Nation has done once again and excellent job of creating complex subtle and sometimes dark ambient rhythems. This CD takes you to the heart of the dark continent and doesn't dissapoint. This is a band on the rise I highly suggest that you pick this one up!

Damn, when i first heard this record I thought it was going to be some guy singing like peter murphy or something. This record is absolutely amazing. The best way I can describe it is African Chillout music, if you can imagine that. Blends flutes, riddling synths, watery piano, and sets the tone with raging african beats and modern day beats as well. This is dark D&B and muscally proliferate songwriting. It a Jewel in a sea of Fools Gold. VN comes highly recommended!

Vampire Nation have certainly developed into a contender within the avant-garde music scene ! Styles that would bring a positive affirmation from 'Sun Ra' to 'George Clinton' , topped with a cool radical 'Fela Kuti' politico-vibe ! A Must Have ! ~Michael Saint Thomas

I still have a napkin from the Carnivore in Nairobi which Kanda Bongo Man signed for me after what must be the greatest live show I've been to. A true master of the soukous style, Kanda Bongo man inherited the definitive sound created by Super Mazembe and Franco and turned it up a notch. Dispensing with the loungy sax which colored earlier forms of the music, Kanda Bongo man gave us a much cleaner faster soukous beat with melodies picked out of lead guitars all against the backdrop of cascading basslines. The result, pure unadultered dance music. So central to Kanda's music was dance most Kanda fans will recall with a shake of the head his legendary dance trio of ample bodied ladies who defied physics with their hips which-independant of their upper torso and lower bodies-would gyrate with the pounding bass line, note for note. Buy the album and play Monie at full blast. If by the guitar solo you are not on your feet with a tusker or primus in hand and sweat pouring down your face you probably need electro shock therapy.

Nearly every song is a pure Soukous classic. If you don't fall in love with this album, you are just not a human being!...

I bought this album while also purchasing Kwassa Kwassa, from Kanda Bongo Man. Kwassa Kwassa is a little better arranged, with some catchier rifts than this album has. Both are excellent however. Try to get both if you can. Makes for great weekend tunes. This is probably some of the very, very best soukous you will ever hear (except for maybe Pepe Kalle or Tabu Ley Rochereau, or M'Bilia Bel, or Franco, but that's another story). Now if he could only come to Seattle...

When you don't know, wether you should buy this CD, do it. It's so fantastic. You'll get a little bit of the Arabic feeling, wether you can speak Arabic or not. The CD was recorded at a concert in Paris and the atmosphere is so great. i'm very sad but in Germany there aren't concerts with these type of music.

This live CD is fantastic. I heard it in Lebanon, and I bought it immediately. It has various types of different Middle Eastern music. I don't speak any Arabic, but I surely love it and I sing along. It will definitely make you want to take some Belly dancing lessons.

A great compilation and a good introduction to many of these Cape Verde artist, of which we have little or any awareness. A fantastic blend of African and Portugese influences, similar to Brazilian music. If you thought the David Byrne Brazilian compilations were good then you will love this CD. Great for parties too.

This compilation album of Afro-Portugese music is wonderful. The songs are beautiful and hypnotic. Although I cannot understand the languages represented on this CD, the power of the music makes the language barrier irrelevant. I loved all of the songs, but "Mona Ki Ngi Xica" by Bonga, "Salale" by Vum Vum, and "Mama Africa" by Danny Silva were, for me, standout selections.

Wide variety of styles for sweet African voices, all distinct from one another. Most songs draw on Afro-pop, but they capture bits of disco, doo-wop, madrigal, and Arab lament. Some are more sound effects than songs. Some are static chants without real lyrics. One or two are too sweet. The closest parallel is Sweet Honey in the Rock, but Zap Mama is uniformly happier, lighter, even on Apartheid songs. Sample of variety: tr 1-Mupepe (closest to ethnographic); tr 6-Plekete (closest to Bobs); tr 9-Din din (sounds like a madrigal); tr 11-Guzophela (South African doo-wop). Stand-outs: tr 5-Take me CoCo. tr 13-Marie-Jos�e (classic polyrhythmic, sweet Afro-pop). tr 14-Ndje Mukanie (Afro-pop rich and smooth as herbed honey).

This is the album I reach for when I feel happy. The voices are so unusual and beautiful, and the joy throughout the music is infectious.

I know, shameless puns derived from the song titles. Anyway, I couldn't think of a better way to express the delight I have for this album everytime I play it in my stereo! Zap Mama's style is hard to describe. It is a fusion of sounds. We have improvisational harmonies, chants, latin elements, a pygmy chant and African-derived percussion and rhythms. But, guess what? The only instruments are the voices of the five magnificent women who are Zap Mama.

Some of my favorite tracks are "Brrrlak!" (hence, the title of my review), "Abadou (a Syrian song about a man crying over the loss of his favorite woman from his harem)," "Din Din (an original, abbreviated interpretation of a traditional Spanish song from the 16th century)," and "Guzophela (an anti-apartheid song)." Not only do these women have a flair for harmony, intepretation and unbridled spontaneity, they are also fine artists. I am so glad that this innovative musical quintet has continued to perform and collaborate together. Can't wait to hear the other albums!
Check it out!

it was recently made clear to me that Rai started sounding very happy cheesy sugary over-load with the awful cheap key-boards when in the mid to late 80s producers started catering to the taste of the French, and the music lost a lot of its original darker, forboding edge.

the ratio of listenable/good tracks to the VERY cheesy/unlistenable ones on this collection is about 50:50, with nothing astoundingly excellent.

most of the Rai multi-disc compilations out there are like this (sometimes a little better, sometimes a lot worse). most good Rai simply is not available in the US.

the Rough Guide to Rai is actually a much, much better introduction to the genre, it includes some *amazing* lost classics and some quality modern urban electronic tracks (with Arabic and French rap).

This set is a must-have for Rai fans. The cuts are well selected, and have a good variety of sound. For the last month, I listened to it every day for at least an hour.

If you love Rai or remotely experienced it this is the cd to try. It is worth every cent!