Search - Mahaleo :: En Concert: Live

Good live album from the biggest name in Madagascar

woburnmusicfan | Woburn, MA United States | 04/18/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"In Madagascar, Dama Mahaleo is said to be the equivalent of Bob Dylan and the Beatles rolled into one. He is also an expert in finger-picked guitar, in the manner of Merle Travis. This is a French recording of a live concert by his band, Mahaleo. The band has several vocalists; the instrumentation is mostly guitar, with an occasional song on kabosy (a small Malagasy guitar with a mandolin-like sound). The songs "Ramiaramila" and closer "Tongava Re" alone are worth the price of the album. This rendition of "Tongava Re" is much better than the one on the Dama & D'Gary "The Long Way Home" CD. The songs "Sambo de Gera" and "Ambahikily" are also highlights. Mahaleo is not a dance band, like Tarika or Jaojoby. The music is more subdued; in fact, a sequence of three ballads in a row near the end makes the pacing a little strange for a live album."