Music Reviews

MTTimes Home · Newsletter, Jan '08 · Music Reviews

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Youssou N’dour: Rokku Mi Rokka (“Give and Take”): I saw N’Dour perform in the 80s in Oakland, California where he was part of the Amnesty International Concert Tour. This is long before I knew my destiny would take me to Africa . I have followed this famous Senegalese musician ever since. This is his latest effort.

Habib Koite and Bamada: Afriki: Koite is Mali ’s premier guitarist and Bamada is his group. This is his first album in six years. Its gentle, laidback songs remind me of Geoffrey Oreyema’s music.

Congolese Soukous compiled by the Rough Guide to World Music: What are soukous you might ask? Well, it’s Congolese rumba, guitar-driven dance music, with its roots in the 1950s Democratic Republic of Congo when Portuguese visitors introduced the guitar to local musicians who quickly traded in their thumb pianos for the new instrument. I can now vouch for the Congolese love of dancing and singing. I have only to sit outside my house after sunset and all the music venues happening around the neighborhood are carried to me through the still night.

06-01-2008