A flawless album of Madagascar music
woburnmusicfan | Woburn, MA United States | 05/15/2002
(5 out of 5 stars)
"D'Gary is a guitar prodigy from Madagascar who was brought to the world's notice in the Kaiser-Lindley "World Out of Time" CD series. Here his band Jihé adds some fine vocalists and dance beats to D'Gary's lightning-quick acoustic runs. D'Gary's voice has a hoarse quality to it, but the group vocals (especially from Irma Ratazanina) are excellent. "Mihasy Lonaky", "Miady Mafy", "Milamina", and "Zay Gny Raha" are all highlights. D'Gary plays solo on "Mpiarak' Andro" and the instrumental "Lagnana". This is one of the best CDs of Madagascar music ever released in the US. Jihé's big sound packs a wallop, making this a far more accessible album for a wide audience than D'Gary's solo albums. I recommend this album without reservation. If you have any interest or curiosity in Madagascar music, grab this album immediately. The only disappointment is that there haven't been any more Jihé albums since this 1995 effort."