Guinea music reviews

This album is beautiful from start to finish, although the songs do tend to blend together in a single listening. However, you can't go wrong with including EVERY cut in a mix. In fact, you must !

After doing a stint with the legendary Rail Band, Guinean kora player, balafon player and band leader Mory Kante zoomed onto the international stage 16 years ago with "Akwaba Beach", a bright chunky beautifully-produced album of dance tunes played by a large tight ensemble with a rich brass chorus. It took the European dance floors, especially in Paris, by storm. The single "Yeke Yeke" was the first by an African artist to sell over a million. The similar-styled funky albums that followed also had some great moments but eventually became so specifically dance-oriented that the African essence seemed to disappear altogether, and sterility began to take an upper hand.

So the fresh energy on this album is a welcome affirmation of a great musician gone full-circle. As another x-Rail Band singer Salif Keita did on his "Moffou" album, Mory Kante has put aside the big dance band sound and recorded a totally acoustic rootsy album that is one of his best yet! The dance element is still provided by a pulsating warm beat but this vibrant music really speaks with griot roots. Every track is an invitation to join in the fun, with compelling female backing vocals, sparkling kora and balafon riffs, colourful percussion, a sweet African flute and other instruments all jiving euphoniously together to create a veritable river of sound. The accompanying booklet describes the story each song tells, along with the instrumentation used.

Be swept away by this sublime feast.

This CD is simply joyful in sound. The artist Mory Kante became famous releasing albums with electric instruments but grew up with very traditional music. This album is somewhat of a return to his roots, using almost all acoustic instruments for a more traditional sound. Granted, you have to be expecting an acoustic sound. The vocal choruses are gorgeous, too, but again, this is a different vocal style than is common in the US, so you have to be expecting and be open to a different sound. That being said, I thing this album is awesome. The rhythmic tapestries weaved by the instruments and voices are enticing. I'm actually involved in playing hand drums, and I enjoy playing along with some of the tracks on this CD. Overall, this is a well-composed, well-recorded collection of music, well worth a try if you're open to some high quality, acoustic, African music.