When Baaba Maal flew out to Philadelphia to work in a studio owned by the American rap group The Roots, he was already committed to developing an innovative new sound. His mission ? To inject Television with a certain "warmth" which he claims is generally missing from records made by African artists. Meanwhile, the Senegalese singer was on the look-out for different musical collaborators who could put a new spin on his songs. It was the Irish producer Barry Reynolds (who worked with Maal a decade before on his album Nomad Soul and who happens to be a close friend and colleague of Chris Blackwell's) who came up with the idea of introducing the Senegalese singer to The Brazilian Girls. Read on >>>
Word to the wise: get on board the Vieux Farka Touré bandwagon now. Not so you can be hip or prepared to drop his name at a cocktail party (for one thing, no one would listen to this music at a cocktail party, and more importantly, who goes to cocktail parties?) or for any reason that would behoove Starbucks to put this disc in their stores. No, the best reason to acquaint yourself with Vieux Farka Touré is because he is a surpassingly brilliant young musician who, if we are fortunate, has a long and productive career ahead of him. Read on >>>
Ba Cissoko goes back to basics - Acoustic 'griot'
The Guinean kora star Ba Cissoko is back with Séno, a third album that proves to be less electric but every bit as creative as his last. On it, the 21-string virtuoso, who has been playing the kora since he was fourteen, puts his own innovative spin on West African musical heritage.
After the wild, Hendrix-style showmanship of Electric Griot Land, Ba Cissoko and his musicians have toned things down a little on their third offering, going back to village basics. Séno includes a hint of wah-wah pedals and the odd bit of sound distortion here and there, but this time round acoustic vibes take priority over electric wizardry. Read on>>>
Oumou Sangare - Seya
It's been too long since any album proper from the ‘songbird of Wassoulou’. Although the compilation Oumou (2004) included previously unreleased material, (mostly cherry-picked from her Mali-only 2001 release Laban, and reworked), her last internationally promoted record was Worotan in 1996. Thankfully Seya doesn't disappoint – it's the best thing since her marvellous 1991 debut Moussoulou, which is one of the all time great treasures of Malian music. Read on >>>
Mamadou Diabaté’s new album: DOUGA MANSA - The king's vulture
Mamadou Diabaté's new release, Douga Mansa, his fourth album and second solo recording, confirms the great musicianship of this young korafola (Kora player). The production notes made sure to point out that this whole album was recorded in one take without any overdubbing. That is a feat by itself. Although the title may sound dark to some, the songs don’t sound dark at all and showcase Mamadou's skills and mastery of the kora. Read on >>>
One of the legacies of Fela Kuti is Afrobeat, the music of the people. Since his passing away, his particular brand of Afrobeat faded a little from the front pages. Femi, one of his better known progenies kept the groove going but was often criticized for being too far off beat from the original Fela sound. Enters his youngest brother, Seun Kuti with Fela's band Egypt 80 and his debut album. Read on >>>
ELIKEH Band: Nyade, the debut album.
Elikeh is young Afropop band in the Washington DC area. Although the band is young, most of the musicians have been playing for years. The band is formed by: Serge Massama Dogo - Band leader, Guitars and vocals,
Michael Sherekis - Guitar and vocals,
Jon Aversa - Bass,
Dave McDavitt - Drum and percussions,
Trevor Specht - Saxes and Flute. Read on >>>
Ghana: King Ayisoba’s sensational album
Ayisoba‘I want to see my father’ may be King Ayisoba’s most known song from his Modern Ghanaians album but there are other songs that deserve attention. After listening to King Ayisoba’s album, one will be convinced of the international potential inherent in his style of music. Read on >>>
GHANA: Bokoor Beats - Oldies Goodies
Bokoor Beats"Bokoor beats" comes from a life long experience, recording Ghanaian music for several decades. The name behind it all is John Collins. Musician and Professor of Musicology. He founded Bokoor Band in the 1970s. Ghana, a young nation was booming with musical excellence and Bokoor band caught the train at the right moment. It was the age of experiment. Read on >>>
GHANA: Rex Omar - "Ajala" Popular
Rex Omar has a unique style of picking his tunes from the roots of African rhythms with the predominance of guitar sounds and lots of percussions in the background. He sings love, gospel and ventures into commentaries on social and political issues. The songster does the old school highlife that is basically aimed at entertaining and other enjoyment purposes creditably. Read on >>>
CABO VERDE: Lura, I've come from far - M'bem di fora
Lura continues to hold true to the promise of her first album. This album follow closely the patterns of the first on. It does not grab your attention right from the get go. Au contraire it makes you want to stop listening. But hold on, once you hit track 6, the album comes alive and shines a new light on the artist. Read on >>>