Whoa, Cool African Trip
"Ian Herrick" | San Jose, CA | 03/15/2005
(4 out of 5 stars)
"On this album, Lassina Coulibaly and his band Yan Kadi Faso provide a sort of music sampler to Burkina Faso and Mali, exploring traditional musical themes from several ethnic groups. The result, on the first few tracks, is hypnotic and meditative, from the surreal picking of Djeli Musa Sissoko's kora, to the sky-twirling ethereal flute playing of Djouro Diallo which takes our thoughts cloud-high. We are grounded by the solid thumps of the percussion instruments, including the balans played by Lassina Dembele and Mene Traore. The men's singing is not intense, but relaxed and almost sedative.
The music picks up on track five, which provides a more trance-like suppleness than meditative stateliness, and track seven bounces along earthily, a Fulani groove centered around the harsh melodies of a one-string fiddle deftly played by Fanga Diawara and the triple-heart beat of Lassina Coulibaly's calabash.
This music is like an aural trip to Mali and Burkina Faso. I suggest you purchase a ticket."
Orignal New Music from the heart of West Africa
Govind Seshadri | Bangalore, India | 04/07/2005
(4 out of 5 stars)
"This refreshingly original suite of Manding music carries out some daring experimentation by providing a modern interpretation to traditional rythms and melodies. While the instrumentation still remains all-acoustic (highlighted by the kora, balafon, ngoni, and the rarely heard fiddle and flute), they are arranged with a rare panache and gusto. Listeners who enjoy this should also check out Toumani Diabate's "New Ancient Strings"."