Africa music reviews

I own 2 CDs by Toumani Diabate, Kaira and New Ancient Strings. Perhaps it's because I had Kaira first and fell in love with the kora through this CD, but Kaira is definitely my favorite of the two (don't get me wrong - I love both and actively listen to both). On Kaira Toumani Diabate plays solo kora, and when I realized that this was one person playing one instrument with no overdubbing I was floored. The music has so many layers to it, bass lines, rhythm, melody, that it is amazing to know it comes from only ten fingers (not sure how many of those you actually use to play the kora). It is beautiful, complex, ethereal, and somehow motivating all at once.

When I went to the hospital to give birth I brought 2 CDs with me - this one and Putmayo's Music from the Tea Lands collection (I highly recommend this one too). As I played these 2 CDs over and over (and over and over) during labor the hospital staff kept complimenting the music and the atmosphere that it created. Ultimately I gave birth to the Toumani Diabate CD, with the doctor humming along. I still listen to this CD all the time, after having owned it for years! This is a true testament to any music, that it stands the test of time.

It is very lively music, armonious and easy to listen. It sounds quite modern and light, almost danceable.

This is my favourite CD featuring Toumani Diabate. If you are interested in kora music, this is THE album to get

Yep! you'll like it. This is good stuff, maybe a little bit repetitive if you had to make a comment, but I liked it all the way. Easy to approach, easy to like and enduring.

This Album is SO wonderful to listen to. Just beautiful sound rining, bouncing... it is hard to put to words. But this CD has some really wonderful sound. A pleasure to have playing while cooking a good meal with a friend, or just quitely kicking back after a long day. Restorative and takes you to a nice place.

Aside perhaps from the necessary hype to introduce a Malian musician to Western listeners who don't know where or what Mali is, I don't hear much similarity to American blues music in this Ali Farka Toure release. Except maybe the pentatonic scale, but that's used in Japanese and other musics too. And certainly the comparison to John Lee Hooker is bizarre. In this album, Mr. Toure exhibits some serious guitar chops across a wide swath of tempos, rhythms and styles. Most important, his seemingly effortless yet complex guitar playing is employed over beautiful compositions, vocal melodies, percussion and singing. The first track, "Goye Kur" is a tour de force with ringing, fluid chorused guitar, a bright bold vocal chant and melody, rumbling and precise calabash percussion and a haunting njarka line that anchors the whole shebang. Hawa Dolo reminds me weirdly of Ben E. King and the Drifters doing a solemn, yet hopeful prayer song. The solo instrumental, Cinquante Six, has a nice Chet Atkins vibe with its delicate and nimble fingerpicking. Excellent recording, mixing and production top it all off.

Eh, it's OK I guess. A pretty new age album that I would play if I ran a day care center.

Samite strays farther and farther from his roots. If you are lookiing for the african touch, you won't find it here, but you will find typical Windham Hill tinkly piano et. al. that you'd expect from that label.

This lastest Samite recording shows an artist who is evolving and refining his craft. To compare his earlier music to this CD is like comparing a street performer to a polished stage act. Kudos to Windham Hill for taking a raw gem and polishing it so that it can shine brightly! The music is fresh and raw, yet refined.

At first listen this pretty and soul enriching album is soothing and filled with lullabies. But each time I play Samite's Stars to Share I discover new sounds and complexities. For a listenner addicted to the raw guitar sounds of Mali (for example Habib Koite and the regal Ali Farka Toure) this more polished "Windam Hill," Africa-Merican album, (by a Ugandan who now calls the U.S. his home,) is a welcome surprise. I have done many sessions of Yoga and meditation to these heartfelt and well-composed tunes. I highly recommend it as a gift to a young child, or for anyone looking to open up to other worlds of music. Africa is, afterall, where it all began. Why not go back, if only through music, once in awhile? No world music collection is complete without it. (Great bass playing and backup vocals by guests!)

This is a unique artist,whose voice is my constant reminder of
God's gifts to human beings.A voice that has the beauty of Africa
locked in it.An inspiring velvet voice with a musicality that gives you vertigo!I have been his fan since donkey years,far back in France. One can never get tired of listening to his music.
This CD is another goody-goody. A "must-have". I Merci infiniment, Sali-fou!T'en as fait encore!

Salif Keita is a god in his own country, we puny Americans really have no musicians to compare with his status, (maybe John Lennon in his heyday). Folon is a great reminder of why hes such a god. On Folon, polyrythyms swim, soar and both permeate and provide a subtle background, guitars call, then respond locking in with eachother with incredible groove savvy smoothness and Keita, now nearing his golden years sounds passionate, intense and downright amazing. Who cares if you don't speak French,the sounds will still move you. And while some may consider the weird american guitar effects and synthesizers selling out, it still sounds strangely beautiful, this is a must have for any music fan who wants their mind blown.

International star, desendant of Kings, this golden throated Malian delivers soul and inspiration. "Falon" is one of my favorite albums of all time, I can listen to it over and over, and have never tired of hearing it. A MUST for any music lover's collection.

try listening to a Zimbabwe musician play this instrument, you will hear the difference. Support Zimbabwe musicians by purchasing their music, there are plenty of genuine Zimbabwe CD's available.

The recent criticisms of this CD are ridiculous,& an insult to the memory of Ephat Mujuru,who was a friend of Erica K Azim.Ephat Mujuru brought this beautiful music to the rest of the world,and died on a plane trip to visit one of those non-African countries.This CD is a recording that is respected by the people of Zimbabwe & non-Africans alike. To those who criticize the CD due to the fact that it was made by a non-African,shame on you.

And the recent anti-white criticism of this CD is an insult to the memory of the recently deceased Ephat Mujuru,who helped bring this beautiful music to other parts of the world. He died as a result of a heart attack while travelling to a non-African country.He had many friends that were not African,Erica K Azim being one of those friends.Your anti-white criticism of this album is an insult to everything that music lovers of all races hold dear.Shame on you.

This album,the most recent of Angelique Kidjo's many releases, is a racier and upbeat return to the artiste's Euro-laced African pop. Apart from intriguing yet simple melodies, what will surprise many serious music lovers, who may otherwise dismiss this as a pop album, and therefore of no consequence, is the line-up of musical luminaries who play on this album. Among them, saxophonist Branford Marsallis, keyboardist Kenny Kirkland and bass phenomenon Bakhiti Khumalo. Add to these a whole slew of lesser known African talents. And, as always, Angelique Kidjo is a treat to listen to. She's bridged Euro-pop and African melodies in a pleasing and highly energetic mix that goes straight to the head and heart. A must listen for anyone with even a faint interest in World Music.

There are one or two weak tracks in this album (personally I think the forays into soul/R&B style English lyrics are not the greatest, but that's just me, musically they are still sound). But they are more than compensated for by the rest. It is an outstanding piece of work, I would say her best. I have Oyaya and Black Ivory Soul and while they are good, this earlier work is still the most authentic. It has power, sensitivity, intelligent arrangements, and some genuinely sublime passages. Her voice (best when she genuinely unleashes it) is very good, great depth and range, reminds me of the Filipina singer Grace Nono, one of the most charismatic voices/deliveries I have ever heard, whom I would highly recommend - but who I can't find on Amazon (!?).

this is a truely outstanding album produced to the very highest standard

Amadou & Mariam have done plenty of great recordings but alas this isn't one of them. What's worse is, I suspect that the shortcomings on SOU NI TILE aren't even their fault. The arrangements here don't suit their music; their songs are best delivered in a spare guitar-and-voice style. I can do without the synthesizers, horn sections and background choruses. Check out their earlier material to get to the true essence of this duo.

A few years ago, someone gave me a compilation CD called From Mali To Memphis. I apparently listed to it once, and took no particular note of it. Then, later on down the line, I went back to it to re-investigate. The first track, Mon Amour, Ma Cherie, by Amadou & Mariam, tore my head off so authoritatively that I played it nine times in a row. And now, Amadou & Mariam are just about my favorite band in the world.


This CD, their first with a full band, is a miracle of great music that transcends traditional style, and marries various forms in ways most all "world music" artists can only dream of.
A flute here, hammond organ there, tabla, violin, trumpet, and influences ranging from Middle-Eastern to James Brown to reggae
make for a unique and exquisite sound. From ballads to
genuine hard rock, it never misses a beat.

In the middle of it all is Amadou Bagayoko. His leathery voice is one of the most commanding ever to be issued from an African recording. His guitar playing, while modest in the solo department, sets up many of the songs with scintillating motifs.
Mariam Doumbia, his soul-mate, also provides vocals that create a soft counter-point to Amadou's gritty singing.

I highly recommend that anyone beg, borrow, or steal a copy of this CD, and discover just how good West African music gets.

We first heard "je pense a toi" in halifax on canadian public radio in 1998 and were completely taken with the haunting melancholic beauty of this couple's music. We love this album, but it's still the first track that lingers in my memory, the simple authenticity of the sentiment, the blend of blues, french, and a distinctly middle eastern intonation. They say that those deprived of one sense are acutely sensitive in the others...

This is a hit-and-miss disc. I asked for and received it for Christmas several years ago and still have yet to fall in love with it. The problem being, at least in my opinion, is that in places it displays too much Western influence. At times it feels like some sort of smooth acoustic instrumental Afro-pop. Whereas fellow Malian musicians such as Ali Farka Toure and Oumou Sangare are able to incorporate a bit of Western influence into their music (such as song forms, etc..) and still sound deeply Malian, Toumani is less successful at this. Whereas Ali Farka Toure, Oumou Sangare, and Afel Bocoum's best work sounds as if it may have crawled up out of the sand of the Sahel, much of this disc sounds as if it were orchestrated in a sterile music studio.

That's not to say this disc is without merit though. Track #7 is excellent and there are other good moments scattered throughout, but overall I feel there are much better albums out there both in terms of kora albums and Malian albums. On the other hand, it's impossible to take anything away from stunning ngoni player, Basekou Kouyate, on this album. Toumani is indeed one of the best kora players on the planet but still I don't feel that he compares favorably to, say, Guinean master Djeli Moussa Diawara. Plus alot of the material here is like I said. Too smooth. But Basekou is excellent throughout. If only he had been consistently allowed to play on tunes as perfect as Tony Vander (track #7).

Yes, yes , yes, Toumani Diabate is an excellent kora player. But for me the reasons to listen to this album over and over again late at night as I write a new essay or story is the music's essentially jazzy nature -- still think jazz originated in America? Listen to this album. And then, of course, there is the extremely subtle vituosity of Keletigui Diabate on the balafon. The man is incredible! I saw him play with Habib Koite in Berkeley. Keletigui(say it real fast and you're probably almost pronouncing it right "KEH-LEH-ti-gwi") not only played incomparably excellent music on the balfon but also played a bit of violin (listen to him on Boubacar Traore's "Macire"). This album would not be nearly as good without his subtle skills on the balafon. Then, of course, there is a Kouyate playing the ngoni and Toumani on the kora...I could go on and on...

This album brings together three traditional Mali instruments; the kora (harp-lute), the balafon, a type of marimba or xylophone and the ngoni--a mandolin-like instrument with a flexible neck. The three virtuosi on this album are the kora master Toumani Diabate, Keletigui Diabete on balafon and Basekou Kouyate on the ngoni.

If you like "New Ancient Strings", something of a hit album in the World Music genre, you will be pleased with this offering. While the mix of instruments does not have the deep, hypnotic rocking style of the dual kora in "New Ancient Strings" the mix of the three traditional instruments is good to listen to. The music has a very traditional sound, yet is tuneful and completely accessible to any listener. The skirling harp riffs are shored up nicely by the "bones" of the balafon's wooden tonking, and the ngoni is fascinating--it's flexible neck produces half-tone notes like an ancient precursor of the bender or "whammy" bar on an electric guitar.

This music dates far, far back to the 13th Century kingdoms of Mali, and even before, when the kora was the hunter-harp. I wonder if King David's shepherd's harp didn't sound like the kora, and if the music to which the Psalms were sung sounded anything at all like this? We can only imagine about this, as music of the ancients is lost to us. But this sound is timeless, and I play my Toumani Diabate CD's over and over. They certainly speak to me and if the kora was the instrument David played to Saul, I can attest that it has tremendous powers to lighten the soul.

I first heard this track At Orlando in a party. La Bomba is the best track of this CD, the others are rather average. Nevertheless, it is good for party. It's worth buying for this !

the cd has many more tracks that are better than bomba. why are you clowns only talking about "bomba", instead of the rest of this great cd?

Hello!
I love this song! And this band! My only wish is to get their music vidio! I really love to see the La Bomba music vidio! But I can't find it anywhere!

I agree with Mr Nunes about stodgy pundits who don't know a horn from their - well ahem.

What I LOVE about both Masakela and Fela is their special spirit and energy. Its just no-holds barred, witty, improvisational. I guess it was the time they played - the spirit of revolution and all that. This album has that vibe, definitely. It has that spirit of experimentation and definitely a live club feel.

And what amazes is the occasionaly really soft, wondering song like well - the first one.

If you like this album PLEASE check out "The Boy's Doin' It". That's another amazing Masakela album and a very political one.

And its so ignorant to say that to be "authentically African" means that Coltrane and Miles can't influence you. How short sighted! Like what are Trane and Miles - Swedish? African music isn't just about someone's made-up idea (from National Geo) of people playing thumb pianos in the desert. Masakela is African and therefore, his music is! The nerve of some know-nothing from Texas to presume to tell Masakela what is authentically African and what isn't!

I had a Hugh Masekela collection that began when I was 15 years old, when I became Hugh's number one fan (prove I'm not!). I had both the albums that comprise this one. I loss possession of all of my Hugh albums (moving, relationship break-ups, etc., etc.). I'm ecstatic to recover two of them in one buy. I'm too prejudiced to really rate this CD because when the originals were out, I was about everything Hugh. I loved them then, and I love them now. The songs still sound as good to me now as they did then. But, the good thing is that even if you don't go way back with Hugh like me, the music is still GREAT!

One of the biggest pain points of any musician is hearing some rank-amateur in the crowd complain that they didn't perform with enough proficiency to rank them up with their dutiful critic's standards. They are missing the point of live performance. But, then again, none of these nay-sayers have ever had to pick up a horn and play in their entire life.

This CD (dad's LP when I first spun it) defined live performance for me as a kid. Yea, ther might be a few subtle gaffs here and there, but they are in context with the music. This is more of an inflexion than a mistake. Score Masekela: 1, Grumpy Pundit: 0.

The depth of the recording itself makes it one of my favorites on my CD rotation. It certainly captures the ambiant refelctions of a smokey NYC nightclub that is The Village Gate. If you close your eyes, you can almost see the skinny black ties and dark sunglasses. Try not to pass this off as lounge fodder. You'll be making a gross error in judgement.