Ivory Coast music reviews

i listened to this while pregnant, then while nursing. now we listen to it at bedtime, and sometimes in the car. the music is so beautiful and soothing, it's one of my favorites in any category.

This is a great CD and I often listen to it without my child around. I've even played it when we have company and they comment on it being good. The music on this CD is very similar to some of the African influenced music on Graceland. Other CDs in the series are as good.

I received this cd as a gift from a friend for my 5 month old daughter. We listen to it every night as part of our bedtime ritual. She loves it and I probably enjoy it at least as much. A very nice alternative to the routine lullaby cd's out there!

This album is fun to listen to, and has a great reggae feel to it, but doesn't show Alpha's songwriting ability, in my opinion. Perhaps he's trying to reach a Western Anglophone audience, but his English lyrics didn't do much for me.

This man and his musicians, to me, are among the best artists, leaders, spiritual teachers, healers EVER to walk the earth. I give thanks for their work.

This record is fantastic. It is one of the best albums that I have in my collection.

Im new to Alpha Blondy. I don't understand the language, but the music is serious roots. This is a great reggae cd, if you are looking some roots. I love the RAI or the middle eastern, African sound. Those last three tracks could really rock a party.

I LOVE this Cd it is absolutely roots & its rhythm sets your soul free. All the CD is great but My most favorite songs are (4)Imbeciles and (5)Armee Francaise but (7) Guerre Civile (10)are really good too. 4 and 5 are in french (i understand a bit of the language) but i love them so much that i learned all the words by heart! I just loove reggae, by far i say the top living reggae artist.
-Pam

As a prophet, Alpha Blondy sees the world above the average person. Israel might be far from his homeland, but his desire to see the world in peace make his world bordeless. Yitzhak Rabin should revived our mighty heart with love,essence of life.

If you have any love for Jamaican music you've got to get this album as a starting point for developing an appreciation of this artist. I'd bought a CD lot of Reggae discs and of the 12 total, this was the stand-out gem of the bunch. The tracks skirt the line between world music and traditional Reggae, since AB recorded with the Wailers, but incorporates some African precussions. Not as soulful as Toots, or as accessable to the masses as Marley, AB fits nicely in any reggae collection when you need some get up and dance and forget about your cares music. Don't be fooled by the name though, Alpha is boss to get you on your feet. As far as I'm concerned, AB is right up there with the Jamaican legends, bringing much flavor to your next party.

Alpha Blondy is without a doubt the best reggae artist on the scene today with the possible exception of Bob Marley. His sound is well produced and smooth and if you can't up off yer arse and dance to this, brother you can't dance. My only criticism of this album is that there are so many other songs that were left off, several of them real standouts. The CD should have at least 20 or so songs on it. Oh well, can't have it all. So where is Volume 2 then?

This CD is melodious and smooth. It starts off with a pop kind of tune, but it gets more deep as the CD progresses. It is the kind of album that builds momentum as it goes along. It makes you yearn to know exactly what he's talking about, because he has such passion behind his lyrics. The last three songs are classics, and can be played over and over again without getting tired. This is a must have for any collection.

Putumayo is a great vehicle for touring the world -- you can do it from the comfort of your own home by way of some incredible music. This particular disc is an enchanting and rhythmic look at Africa and its many different musical styles. According to the accompanying and extremely informative booklet, Africa is home to over 50 countries, 1,000 different languages, and 3,000 different tribes. That would make this disc a brief glimpse of all Africa has to offer in the music world, even though it is a very comprehensive sampling - ten songs from seven different countries.

Many cultures have influenced the music of Africa over the years, adding to a rich diversity of both music and the instruments with which to play music. The music found here is as beautiful and untamable as the African landscape - showing the strong unbreakable spirit of a strong, enduring, and culturally rich people. As well as containing two previously unreleased tracks of known artists, this disc also contains music of people that have never been heard outside of their marketing areas before. A bona fide treasure to care for and enjoy.

Fundo Di Matu is sung in Crioulo, which is a blend of African languages local to the Guinea Bissau and Portuguese, which is the main language of Guinea Bissau. Manuel Leal Emidio Costa, or Manecas Costa, first released this song on his album of the same name in 1999. Fundo Di Matu means Deep in the Forest and the rhythms of this piece will have you swaying and moving to the music before you realize what has happened, as Manecas' emotion laden lyrics dance around the melody.

Les Go is local slang along the Ivory Coast for "The Girls." This group is fronted by not one, but three young women who are a part of something so much larger - the L'Ensemble Koteba d'Abidjan. The famed dance/ theatre/ music company which was established in the city of Abidjan in order to preserve the Mandingo culture. The director of this school brought the three girls together, and now they mix their cultural music with popular Western music to bring about their own unique and most definitely unique sound. The lyrics of this piece are in Bambara, the language of Mali. In this track can be heard the n'goni (a four stringed lute-like instrument), Malian flutes, drums, and even some modern studio effects. The end result is a stunning and flavourful almost pop sounding track.

Ke Cu Minino Na Tchora is another interesting piece with a definite Reggae influence. The lyrics are completely at odds with the upbeat, chipper melody. The electric guitar has a bit of a spotlight, dancing all about the drum beat and bringing a smile - until you read the lyrics, that is. The Criolu lyrics describe the pain and suffering which comes with war, and focuses on the children thus affected. Bidinte has a strong love for music, according to the liner notes he even changed his religion to Catholic so that he could play the priests guitar! Incredible spirit and drive are combined with some serious talent where this young man is concerned. I hope to hear more of his work in time.

Not only is this a great way to expose yourself to African music, it is a great dance disc. The rhythms are very strong and lend themselves well to such strenuous activity. All of the artists featured on this disc are talented and have something worthwhile to say - this is music with meaning and a deep regard for life.

Review Original Posted at LinearReflections.com

While people associate Africa with drumming,this album leans to the acoustic side.Putumayo excels in exploring world acoustic music,and this album is a shining example.Each song is perfect,haunting.

Manecas Costa sings of a long-lost love;Seydu sings of the plight of children during wartime.Les Go is a powerful trio of women from the Ivory Coast.Oliver Mtukudzi of Zimbabwe,who is on many Putumayo albums,has a beautiful song about the sustaining power of spirituality.Augusto Cego from Cape Verde sings of the melancholy of the sea.Aura Msimang sings powerfully of a mother's loss.Adama Yalomba sings about helping the less fortunate accompanied by an unobtrusive electronic beat;I wish I could find more of his music.Habib Koite sings about the problems caused by polygamy when wives fight;it's not the glossy version of polygamy presented on HBO's "Big Love",but the atrocious nature of it in Mali.Koite doesn't sugarcoat it.

This is a powerful album.Despite its heavy themes of hunger,war&polygamy,its music is relaxing&uplifting.

Putumayo does it again! Beautiful musical voyage of Africa with some haunting melodies. This is an enchanting album ...something you need to add to your I-Pod ASAP! My favorites are Raki by Oliver Mtukudzi and Sinama Denw by Habib Koite.

I have maybe 25 CDs of music from the continent, and this is still far and away my favorite. The one-disc "sampler" is like a "Best of..." -- very good, but as many listeners will know from first hand experience, some of the finer, and more subtle pieces are in the original complete recordings. True here in spades. If you only own one set of discs to represent Africa and all its nations and sounds, this is it.

If you're interested in listening to some African music and don't know where to start, you can't do better than this. It's got modern and traditional stuff on it -- mostly modern -- from all over the continent. My tapes of this set live in my cassette road case, and I listen to them when I go on long trips. The variety and quality are both excellent.

The booklet's a nice touch, too.

Its a spiritual journey he artist is taking the listener to explore through meditation.Alpha Blondy celebrates both life and death, and realized that the journey of a great soul never ended.
Listening Alpha remind me mostly Bob Marley or vice versa. I see in both artists the seeds of pure Love,the sound of the preacher.

Great reggae mixed with tuneful pop mixed with African overtones. Blondy really combines the styles well and brings it altogether with his voice and talent. This was my first taste of Alha Blondy. It was sweet to hear it as well as to experience it while in his native land and to taste a bit of what he is cooking.

completely ridiculous. lots and lots of zing. c'est tres bon. oui.

i have been listening to,and studying the music of west africa for a couple of years now,and nothing i have ever heard can compare to the music found hear on this cd. the speed at which they play is completely astounding. this cd is a must for anyone and everyone. word up carbon pound

In l963 I moved from Monrovia, Liberia to a small village upcountry in Liberia called Toweh-ta. The people of the village are called Gio in Liberia, however in Cote dIvoire they are the Dan. For a full year I heard the music of the Dan in its various forms through the rainy season into the dry season. The Dan are an extremely musical people. They don't do anything without music. Rice, Death, Marriage, Birth, Weather are all celebrated with music. When I came back from Africa I ran across this album in New York City. When I heard the album I was transported right back to Toweh-ta. The rythmns were the same, the subject matter the same. The drums sounded as if I were right back listening to music in Liberia. When I went out into the rice fields to watch the harvest in 1963 they sang the same music. When one of the bush devils came out to play, they played the same music. There is something very distintive about Dan music. It is my favorite of African music, probably because I lived there, yet I hear the music in American music as well. The roots of American music are well founded in Africa. I recommend this album to anyone who is searching for interesting music that is still sung and played in the villages of Liberia, Guinea and Ivory Coast. It will transform you to a very different way of life, but will show the roots of jazz and rythmn and blues.

This CD may have to grow on me. There is a few classic tracks. To call this CD The best of Alpha Blondy is hard to do. The high point is, The Wailers is on a few tracks. Im very new to Mr.Blondy. I was really impressed with Yitzhak Rabin. My next CD by Alpha will be, Masada

Alpha Blondy is a unique artist. Hailing from Africa's Ivory Coast, this talented and inspiring musician is capable of some of the most infectious and moving songs in the reggae genre. This compilation contains several of those songs. Unfortunately it also contains some very weak material as well. The first 5 songs on this c.d. are brilliant, and are almost worth the price of the c.d. alone. The problem is that one would be much better off purchasing one of his early works. My suggestion would be "Jerusalem." That being said, if you've never heard Alpha Blondy even this less than perfect compilation is a worthwhile investment.

So your not an Ivory Coast rocker? Well, it doesn't matter. Have you ever wondered why people listen to reggae? Did you think reggae was just Bob Marley? Well than you should pick up this album and get and education. If you are an avid reggae fan, than your collection is not complete with a little Alpha Blondy, and this album is a good place to start. They keep it irie mon, and the beats are always right on. I think there are very few groups that understand music as an international language, and Alpha Blondy understands perfectly, reaching out across the globe to all people and cultures. So do yourself a favor and pick this up, kick back, and relax...maybe even light a spliff. Other than that, this is one of the best albums I own.