Search - Gigi :: Gold & Wax (Dig)

This cast wax technique leaves behind sculpted gold ;-)

Astrida Valigorsky | New York, NY USA | 05/17/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Ever since I bought Gigi's first album in 2001 I've been hoping and praying for some new material. Well, this is worth the wait, and at least three listens before I go to bed tonight. Others have said the album covered familiar territory-- and in that sense they're right. They've also said the territory is good, so why not?-- right too!



This album is different too, though. It seems almost more upbeat and optimistic than the earlier GIGI album, yet there is a variety of sentiment as well.



Of the familiar territory-- I think Acha probably sounds the most like something I've heard on other Gigi albums. However, that being said-- its still lovely-- the high notes bubble into your ears like a gentle spring rain.



Of the new territory-- Gomelaleye. Gomelaleye might also be the standout song here on the first listen-- its haunting in a good way-- a woven combination of Gigi's masterful layered unfolding lyric story that builds over a driving backbeat that is pierced with sweet strings and cymbals. I think its the most complex piece I've heard from her yet.



The producers have probably smartly included a song here that is in English. Utopia will probably satisfy those Gigi followers who have been inarticulately humming her tunes with something they can follow more precisely. It might also provide her with something that can turn up more easily on the radio in the United States. It kind of reminds me of "I Will Follow" on Baaba Maal's Nomad Soul album.



I think Nomad Soul got Baaba Maal a bigger market. Hopefully this album will do the same for Gigi, her talent deserves that recognition, and the world needs to be reminded that there exists something exquisitely more sophisticated than the warblings of the next winning contestant on American Idol.



Go treat your ears!"

Poetic Perfection

Rebecca Johnson | Washington State | 10/05/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Gigi's music is an authentic experience where the ancient and modern mingle in an intriguing soul infusion of rich rhythms and alluring and at times ethereal vocals. Gold and Wax is at times hypnotic, at times deeply sensuous and always captivating in its sophistication.



Gigi's voice melts into "Gomelaleye" as it merges with an electronic world. By the end of the song, you are heady from the sweet perfection of the warm soothing textures and Gigi's ecstatic vocals. In "Ambasale" she sings with such a clarity of vision that seems to float above the surging depths of an ever changing complexity. You can hear a world of cultural influences in her music, all while her voice remains firmly rooted in her heritage.



You honestly don't need to understand one word of Amharic to be completely entranced by each melodic rendition, although the layers of meaning may be hidden within the beauty. I love "Salam" and the images my mind forms as I imagine her singing this song out in an African night blissfully lost in her own ecstatic wild and sweet ziraleet.



Gold and Wax is an intriguing title because it takes much more heat to melt gold to purity than to melt pure wax. Gigi knows when to use her vocal strengths and when to soften the heat. She can whisper over a candle without melting the wax or take an ancient idea into her heart and melt it like gold to form contemporary beauty in "Utopia." This comforting song is filled with hope and draws on the idea of unity.



What comes across is a purity of sound that is exquisite especially when Ustad Sultan Khan plays the sarangi in "Hulu-Dane" where you have to take a deep breath, it is that beautiful.



After listening to this album for seven or eight times, new sounds emerge as if from an everchanging African sunset and merge with your mind and soul in the most intriguing of ways. At first the obvious appears and then the mysterious hidden element evolves and awakens and you are left with a sense of wonder.



As the wax melts away with the heat of the gold, Gigi's voice becomes the goldsmith creating precious treasures. She reveals the poetry of the Ethiopian heart and effortlessly mingles her voice with the musical artistry of Abegasu Shiota, Bernie Worrell, Nils Petter Molvaer, Moges Habte, Assaye Zegeye, Bill Laswell (electronic percussion), Robert Musso (acoustic guitar), Karsh Kale (drums), Aiyb Dieng, MIDIval Punditz and Lili Haydn (violin). Gigi's Gold and Wax is rare in beauty and an album you will want in your collection if you love world music.



~The Rebecca Review

lived in Africa for 12 years



"

Gigi

Amy | USA | 08/23/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Having not heard any other Gigi albums I can't compare to previous efforts but I can certainly say that this one is good.



I have no idea what she is singing but she has a good voice and the songs have nice beats behind them and are very catchy however hard to sing along with for obvious reasons"