Search - Granmoun Lele :: Dan Ker Lele

This scorching combination of raw human voices and a battery of drums and shakers suggest spirit possession rituals conducted in the dead of night. True enough, this Creole music from the Indian Ocean island of Reunion has plenty in common with voodoo chants of Haiti, including roots in West African traditional styles and a propulsive call-and-response format. But self-appointed "Great Witchdoctor" Lélé and his 10-member troupe of Creole singers and drummers turn their powerful Maloya songs to more mundane subjects than the other world, such as daily island life and the history of their people. "Alé Maniny" is about a neighborhood gossip. "La s&eagrave;n la kassé" celebrates Reunion's abolition of slavery in 1848. Look closely beneath the ritualistic outer layer, and you just might find a suggestion of sweet pop sensibility not too far removed from King Sunny Ade's Nigerian juju. And with its sophisticated interlocking vocal parts, the cautionary love fable "Tele mofo" might be mistaken for Zap Mama alumnus Sally Tribu's African art music. If you can find a more exciting set of songs, go ahead and buy it. But make sure your roof is tied down first. --Bob Tarte