Wow! Melodies, beats, great voice come together
Jure | Seattle, of course! | 08/12/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"You really don't have to understand the lyrics to be able to enjoy this cd. The music takes me on a jouney - it is calming but also very energizing in a positive way. I catch myself either tapping my foot or nodding my head side to side to most of the tracks on this cd. I've never heard of this artist, and never listened to any type of African music before. This was a random cd purchase, with a $15 gift certificate I had to burn, and just wanted something "different". Well, I got what I was looking for - and I love it!"
The golden voice
Friederike Knabe | Ottawa, Ontario Canada | 07/12/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"- admiring description given to Salif Keita's voice could not be more aptly applied to this, his most recent CD. The songs bring out his beautiful tenor set against the backdrop of the West African beat. His many years abroad have left their mark in his music combining rich harmonies with instrumentation that supports his extraordinary tonal presentation. Accompanied by a choral of his sisters and a range of acoustic and traditional instruments, he presents a good range of rhythms for his songs.
After 35 years living abroad, he has finally returned to Mali and recorded this CD in his new studios in Bamako on the shore of the Niger river. Being albino, he was rejected by his family as a bad omen. Also, as a young man intent to pursue his musical ambitions he had to leave Mali and abandon the privileges of his noble descent. As an internationally acclaimed musician, he has return to his roots.
The themes of this collection centre around love, lost or found, as well as trust and respect for the wisdom of elders. His voice is warm and deeply moving when he sings in his native Bambara with some French thrown in. For M'Bemba, the title song, he is joined by Mali's kora virtuoso Toumani Diabate, adding a soft and gentle touch to the music. M'Bemba, meaning "grandfather" speaks about the importance of the griots, the ancestral singers of families, and his own ancestor, the famed king Sundiate Keita. I would be hard pressed to choose my favourites among the songs. It is a CD that one want to listen to many times over. The pieces also make great dance music. As has been shown recently in life performances, such as in my home town, where he got everybody up from their seats and swinging and dancing the night away. [Friederike Knabe]
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