Africa music reviews

Living up to its title, this 13-track compilation showcases how Malians are masters of assimilating new ideas and sounds into their own culture. At the crossroads of many ancient trading routes, Mali has always reflected diversity in its music, and Western instrumentation is just the latest addition to the culture. Male and female artists perform acoustically and electrically in various styles like bambara de segou, wassoulou, and n'goni, and the blues is never far away. Whether it is the electric guitar style of Lobi Traore or the country blues equivalent of Issa Bagayoyo's "Fengue," the comparisons to American blues are obvious, and all the singers, placed in a Memphis Soul setting, would show how much of our pop culture is indebted to Malian traditions. This, however, is the roots real deal, alive and flourishing, and as soulful in its own right as anything on the planet. --Derek Rath

Volume 5 in this remarkable series focuses on the music of Eritrea and Tigray (now a province of Ethiopia), the cradle of the Abyssinian Empire and homeland of the Queen of Sheba. Like the Ethiopian selections found elsewhere in the series, these were recorded in the late '60s and early '70s, a very modernist period for the region. Tigrina music has less overtly present jazz and R&B influences than its counterparts from Addis Ababa, retaining its own distinct rhythms and melodies, with the krar and tcherawata being the dominant instruments. These rare recordings are often political; especially of note are the banned recordings of Tekle Teska Ezghi, never released prior to his imprisonment by the new Ethiopian junta in 1975, and issued here for the first time ever. Excellently notated, Ethiopiques 5 continues the high standards of the series. --Derek Rath

Between 1969 and 1975, Ethiopia's Amha Records issued 100 or so singles that paved the way for the country's modern music movement, an unmistakable fusion of funk and pop sprinkled with plenty of Middle Eastern melodies and a strong Afro-beat. Fueled by the liberating reign of Emperor Haile Selassie, music prospered, clubs opened, the jukebox found its way to the country, and musicians innovated. And, while there are dozens of memorable artists from this period, one--Mahmoud Ahmed--so perfectly fused wild brass, pop rhythms, and soulful vocals that he helped this music expand beyond his country's borders (it's no wonder he was the first modern Ethiopian musician to tour the U.S.). To call his music "funky" doesn't do it justice; this is wild stuff. "Kulun Mankwalesh" keeps a rocksteady beat even when the melodies leave the Western hemisphere; at six minutes, it's just long enough to hypnotize. "Ambassel" is slow and soulful, while "Mela Mela" has a great sax opening that is quickly ignored when the beat takes over. Most of these tunes date from a November 1973 LP and feature Ahmed with the genre-breaking Ibex band. And, while there are compilations in the Éthiopiques series that may swing better and keep faster tempos, this fascinating single-artist spotlight is a welcomed addition. --Jason Verlinde