Kenya 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 is a great introduction for anybody wondering about African music. The whole CD is similar to the song that was used in the movie The Constant Gardener.

I fell in love with Ayub Ogada's music after hearing his haunting "Kothbiro" -- effectively the theme song of the film "The Constant Gardener."

I bought the disk for my wife who has played it over and over. She loves the simple, beautiful rhythms, Ogada's liltingly sensual voice and the sense-pictures his music provides of the unforgettable African countryside and people.

It's exactly the sound that I was looking for! Real Africa, not just drums and noise. You can fly with your mind.

This is a great introduction for anybody wondering about African music. The whole CD is similar to the song that was used in the movie The Constant Gardener.

I fell in love with Ayub Ogada's music after hearing his haunting "Kothbiro" -- effectively the theme song of the film "The Constant Gardener."

I bought the disk for my wife who has played it over and over. She loves the simple, beautiful rhythms, Ogada's liltingly sensual voice and the sense-pictures his music provides of the unforgettable African countryside and people.

It's exactly the sound that I was looking for! Real Africa, not just drums and noise. You can fly with your mind.

Only a listen to this incredible and sublime collection with convince noise-weary ears and world-heavy souls of the healing power of the human voice.

I would love to hear a collection of this type which featured the voices of African women like Angelique Kidjo and Miriam Makeba.

Get it. You'll revisit it over and over.

Ive had this album for four years, I still listen to it on A weekly basis and never tire of it.It's very soul stirring,the first of the songs kothbiro is the most haunting of all of them.Dala and ondiek are my next favourites.
It's a wonderful album to have when life gets very chaotic and busy,it stops you right in your tracks.Highly reccommended as an introduction to the very wide scope of african music.

I heard this CD when visiting Bogota. I walked into a gallery of the local artists and the music captured my soul. I was so moved by the melodies, I had to find out the title of the CD. The music is transcendent. My favorites are Kothbiro, Ondiek and Sutu Kun, and the invigorating, rythmic Ekbobo. But the best has to be the Wasuze Otya track with the laughter of the singers at the end of the track; you can sense their joy in their songs. The music is so uplifting and premeates with a positive feeling -- you can tell that the singers feel joy in living, and in life through the range of wonderful music; you want to go to their land, and be in their space. Wonderful!!! A must have!!!

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.

These are really the zilizopendwa. The nostalgia factor is very high and for those that grew up in the 70's or 80's it brings back memories of Kenya at it's best so far. Overall very good CD, I wish we had more of these.

I remember listening to the tracks on this CD on radio when I was growing up. Now I have the CD and I never seem to get enough of them mushrooms - the music is so good, reminiscent of kenya especially coz of its distinctive coastal influence (I know what you another kenyan reviewer away in the US meant by being reminded from home)!
So I you want to sample the best music from Kenya, before the infiltration of Reggae (Them Mushrooms embraced that too but the result is not as good as this) and hip hop (which is done by current young artistes) then try this. You will enjoy this ageless music.

you won't get tired listening to it.i got one that i play everyday.its nice to have it too for your collection.

Jambo (Hello)

Anyone who has lived or visited Kenya has definately heard all these songs while there. These are an essential part of the Kenya experience. The collection is well chosen and the product is of very high quality. I would recommend this CD for any avid fan of African music.

Kwaheri (Goodbye)

This is a great album. You will enjoy it! The words are clear and the music is very well done. Everyone who hears it asks me to get them a copy the next time I am in Kenya.

I remember this song as a young girl growing up. There are very many different versions to this song. So far, this is my favorite version.It always reminds me of my parents and other relatives slow dancing to this song, and I would always wonder why this song. But as I grew up I got to understand the words and appreciate them. Safari Sound can really, really sing. All those songs always send me back to Kenya. The music is very clear and I therefore was able to introduce it to my American friends who don't understand Swahili, but yet enjoy the music and the beat. The music is quite relaxing! If you don't have the cd, TODAY is the day to get it and you'll most definately enjoy every song.

This is on my all time top ten cd list, in a collection of around a thousand cds. I've had it for nearly ten years, and it's held up remarkably well. The Victoria Kings are (or were, at any rate) extraordinary musicians who collaborate beautifully, and are clearly having fun making music. While they are similar to a number of other East African bands, to my ear the closest sound to them is Zaiko Langa Langa--they are guitar-driven, and have dispensed with the horn section. Not a bad cut on the cd;in fact, none are merely good--they're all outstanding!

I've listened to different kinds of benga before and I can say that nothing has ever come close to Kings's way of benga .It is so soothing one can listen to it the whole day and don't get bored.I wish you could get more CDs by The Mighty Kings of Benga: Victoria Kings. When you do, please e-mail me right away.

This pulsating style brings out the best in African music. Benga music is melodic, sweet to listen to and relaxes the listener. This is the type of music you cannot do without.

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.

I couldn't wait to get the CD. I listen to this CD almost everyday. The guitar, synthesizers, and the drums make this a good CD to listen and dance to. Although I don't speak the language that is used to perform these songs the interpretations of each song gives a bright picture of the Kenyan people in their music.

This is African music at its best, full of vivacity, melody, enthusiasm and most important of all, a mesmerizing beat. The guitar riffs, the signature of African pop music, alone are well worth the money These songs depict the rich tableau of Kenyan life and relationships in a warm and colorful way. Nicely done.

ienjoyed this cd so much because it amixture of 3 different dialects spoken in Kenya and basically with the same theme. Iam a Kikuyu so my favourites were (mwana wa ndigwa and Ururu mwana) The rhythm and beat is great. It reminds me of old good days back home. i would recomend it to anyone. my next order is Maitu Maitu cant wait to play it. The Luos, the Wakambas great job.