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WEST AFRICA
STREETS OF DAKAR "GENERATION BOUL FALE" (VARIOUS ARTISTS) STERNS MUSIC (SENEGAL) AN EXCELLENT AND VARIED COMPILATION OF LOCAL DAKAR RELEASES ASSEMBLED ON CD FOR THE FIRST TIME. THIS IS A RARE GLIMPSE AT THE DIVERSITY OF SENEGALESE MUSIC, NOT FOCUSING ONLY ON THE LARGE INTERNATIONAL NAMES BUT ON THE ARTISTS THAT ACTUALLY KEEP THE CREATIVE PULSE BEATING 24-7 IN DAKAR. INCLUDES SONGS BY ASSANE NDIAYE, FATOU GUEWEL, ALIOUNE KASSE, OUSMANE SECK, TATA & SALAM BAND, LEMZO DIAMONO, GELONGAL, MATY THIAM DOGO, FALLOU DIENG AND MARIE NGONE NDIONE.
LIVE AT THE ROYAL FESTIVAL HALL (DVD VIDEO, PALM PICTURES) (SENEGAL) ONE OF THE FIRST AFRICAN CONCERTS FILMED DIRECTLY FOR DIGITAL DVD, THIS CONCERT CAPTURES BAABA MAAL AND HIS TROUP DAANDE LENOL LIVE AND DIRECT IN LONDON. THE MAJORITY OF THE SONGS INCLUDED ARE NEWER MATERIAL, MADE MORE AUTHENTIC AND ROOTSY IN THE LIVE SETTING. THE INCLUSION OF "AFRICAN WOMAN" FROM A PREVIOUS RELEASE IS A WELCOME ADDITION AND BRINGS THE LATIN FLAVORED TINGE TO MAAL'S WORK. SONGS INCLUDE "GOREL," "CA ET LA," "KONI," "AFRICAN WOMAN," "DOUWAYRA," "SOUKA NAYO," AND "HAMADY BOIRO (YELE)."
LIVE AT THE ROYAL FESTIVAL HALL (CD EP) (PALM RECORDS) (SENEGAL) THE COMPANION CD TO THE EXTENDED LIVE DVD VIDEO, FILMED IN LONDON WITH BAABA MAAL'S EXTRAORDINARY MUSIC AND DANCE TROUP. FOR THOSE WITHOUT THE DVD CAPABILITIES, PALM RECORDS HAS MADE AVAILABLE THIS EP CD WITH FOUR SONGS ON IT. FULL OF LIFE, THIS RECORDING CAPTURES SOME OF ESSENCE OF MAAL'S UNIQUE LIVE SHOW. RECOMMENDED DESPITE THE SHORT LENGTH. SONGS INCLUDE "MBOLO", "AFRICAN WOMAN," "KONI" (FEATURING JAMAICAN GUITAR LEGEND ERNEST RANGLIN) AND "DOUWAYRA."
KANDIA KOUYATE "KITA KAN" (STERNS MUSIC) (MALI) KANDIA KOUYATE STUNS US WITH HER VOCALS AND INTONATION. THIS ALBUM IS FULL OF BEAUTIFUL ARRANGEMENTS, ESPECIALLY THE SELECTIONS WITH THE STRINGS SRINGS WHICH OFFER AN INTERESTING TAKE ON HER STYLE. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED, KOUYATE SHINES ON THIS RECORDING.
GNONNAS PEDRO "LA COMPILATION (VOL 1) MUSIQUE AFRO-CUBAINE" (BENIN) IF YOU LIKE THE AFRICANDO AFRICAN SALSA SOUND THEN YOU WILL LOVE THE MUSIC BY GNONNAS PEDRO, WHO WAS INCLUDED IN THE AFRICANDO GROUP AND WHO PENNED SEVERAL OF THEIR RECENT HITS. GNONNAS BRINGS A CLASSY AND WONDERFUL LATIN TINGE TO HIS MUSIC. EVERY TRACK IS STELLAR, AND THIS TWO VOLUME COMPILATION CAPTURES THE GREATEST HITS OF HIS EARLY CAREER ON CD.
GNONNAS PEDRO "AGBADJA" (SYLLART PRODUCTIONS/AFRICANDO) (BENIN) AGBADJA IS SUPER. EVERY SONG SHINES WITH A UNIQUE, ROOTSY AND DIVERSE SOUND, ALL PUSHED TO THE UPPER LIMITS WITH GNONNAS PEDRO'S SMOOTH VOCALS. GNONNAS ACHIEVES ALL SORTS OF MUSICAL HEIGHTS WITH THIS ALBUM, FROM TRADITIONAL SOUNDS OF BENIN TO THE HARD SALSA SOUND PIONEERED BY AFRICANDO. SUPERB RECORDING QUALITY, AND A BIG BAND MAKE THIS A TOP AFRICASOUNDS EDITORS PICK. CHECK IT OUT.
MALI TO MEMPHIS (VARIOUS ARTISTS) "AN AFRICAN - AMERICAN ODYSSEY" (PUTUMAYO MUSIC) (MALI / USA) ALTHOUGH CERTAINLY NOT A NEW CONCEPT, PUTUMAYO HAS FURTHER INTRODUCED THE USA CLIENTEL TO THE CLOSE SIMILARITIES BETWEEN MEMPHIS AND MALI. SEVERAL TOP CUTS FROM MALI AND MEMPHIS FURTHER ILLUSTRATE THE POINT.
AFRICAN SALSA (VARIOUS ARTISTS) "SENEGALESE SALSA FIREWORKS" (STERNS MUSIC) (SENEGAL) A SUPERB COLLECTION OF RHYTHM HEAVY SALSA, SENEGALESE STYLE, THAT CONTINUES IN THE AFRICANDO VEIN. THIS IS AN IDEAL ALBUM TO START WITH TO GAIN A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF THE WAYS THAT SALSA HAS BEEN FUSED WITH LOCAL SENEGALESE STYLES. ARTISTS INCLUDE PAPE FALL, AFRICANDO, ALOUNDE KASSE, SUPER CAYOR DE DAKAR & MAPENDA SECK.
ORCHESTRE BAOBAB BAOBAB-N'WOLOF (DAKAR SOUND) (SENEGAL) INTIMATE SESSIONS BY ORCHESTRA BAOBAB RECORDED LIVE BY JULES SAGNA AT THE BAOBOB NIGHTCLUB IN DAKAR BETWEEN 1970 TO 1971. THERE IS A CERTAIN FRANKNESS IN THESE RECORDINGS, WHICH INCLUDE HIS AND THE SHARPNESS OF THE RECORDED LIVE EXPERIENCE IN THE 1970'S. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED FOR THE MUSIC LOVER WHO IS SEARCHING FOR THE REAL THING - IE, REAL MUSIC, NO STUDIO OVERDUBS. |
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BAABA MAAL & DAANDE LENOL
BAABA MAAL & DAANDE LENOL
