Creating a single CD to represent the music of Africa is an exercise in the absurd, but an entertaining one. With all the genres, languages, artists, bands, eras, countries, histories, environments and so on to choose among, the end result usually ends up saying as much about the compiler as the continent. In this case, our virtual traveler is Christina Roden, a New York based writer, producer and marketing person with many years of experience in the world music biz. Based on these 14 tracks, Roden's take on Africa tends toward acoustic pop, favors simple, clean productions, reveals an affection for the Latin tinge in African music, and above all, an ear for great singers--although notably, not superstars.
So, bypassing the Youssou N'Dours, Miriam Makebas and Papa Wembas of the Afropop pantheon, we start out with the gently clopping, 6/8 rhythms and male/female call-and-response singing of the Atlas mountain Berber (Amazight), recreated in France by Algeria's Djurdjura (Sampled for this review). With fluttering flute and a plucked melody halfway between an acoustic guitar and a banjo, this is a sound many listeners would fail even to place in Africa; for that alone, it's an inspired opening. A gorgeous, lilting acoustic track by Bana of Cape Verde follows, and then a classic of Senegalese salsa by Africando, and still, a naïve listener might be excused for mistaking this for a tour of South America and the Caribbean.
By the time we get to a beatific blast of Manding griot folklore from Guinea's golden-throated pop griot Sékouba Bambino, and a spare taste of Malian roots techno from Issa Bagayogo, we've heard a delightful array of string-driven vocal music, but we have to wait a couple of more tracks before we get a taste of the sound most commonly associated with Africa, polyrhythmic drumming, heard here in a vintage recording by Nigeria's Haruna Ishola and his Apala Group.
Congolese bassist and singer Pablo Lubadika might seem an obscure choice to represent the most popular dance music on the continent, but again, the music is unassailable, a fluid unfolding of electric guitar interplay, sweet vocal harmony, big brass section punch, and rhythm rolling ever upward towards dance ecstasy. The track makes as good a case for the supremacy of Congolese music as any could.
Moving to east Africa, we get an uncharacteristically traditional number from Ethiopian pop diva Aster Aweke and then head south and into the bush with Tanzanian roots music from Hukwe Zawose and company singing at the edge of overtones and playing flute, metal scraper and a deeply chiming harp, and spiritually charged Zimbabwean roots music from that country's first lady of the mbira, Stella Chiweshe. The journey ends in South Africa with the Imilanji Kantu Choral Society belting out the world's most musical national anthem, "Nkosi Silelele i'Africa."
No point in asking, "But how could they have left ____ out?!" It goes without saying that any one CD of African music leaves almost everything out. That said, this one moves from high point to high point and in terms of sheer musicality, it is probably the most enjoyable African music compilation disc to hit the market yet. Just the same, keep 'em coming!
Listen Now!
Creating a single CD to represent the music of Africa is an exercise in the absurd, but an entertaining one. With all the genres, languages, artists, bands, eras, countries, histories, environments and so on to choose among, the end result usually ends up saying as much about the compiler as the continent. In this case, our virtual traveler is Christina Roden, a New York based writer, producer and marketing person with many years of experience in the world music biz. Based on these 14 tracks, Roden's take on Africa tends toward acoustic pop, favors simple, clean productions, reveals an affection for the Latin tinge in African music, and above all, an ear for great singers--although notably, not superstars.
