Search - An Be Kelen :: We Are One

Mande Soul Made Audible

Christopher Fung | honolulu | 11/22/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"There are a few times in a listener's life when a musical experience reaches out and grabs you by the throat. For the serious student of traditional West African culture, this album should give you one of them. Jelima Kouyate bo!For the rest of us, this album is a thoughtful and wonderfully contextualized introduction to where popular musicians like Habib Koite and Salif Keita really come from. While not for the casual Afro-Pop consumer, those who are interested in roots African music should definitely buy this CD. The extensive liner notes provide a solid introduction to the jeliw (or griots) of Mande culture and their place in Mande society. Musically, the vocals are wonderfully intense, lyrical and powerful. There are several hidden gems of popular songs sung by female griots on this CD, in particular 'Datulama' with its spare arrangement, ineffable peacefulness and the crickets in the background is wonderfully reminiscent of evening in Africa. A beautiful beautiful CD."