Search - Sali Sidibe :: Wassoulou Foli

La griotte of mali

Heather Shively | New York, NY USA | 08/21/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"sali sidibe makes accessible the heart and soul of mali to a western ear without compromising the rhythms and sounds of her native land. she has earned the adoration of her countrymen and as you listen to her sounds, picture yourself in the african "brousse", under a big african sky with mango trees in bloom and feel closer to this part of the world."

M-E-H spells "meh"

rudiger | Hoople, ND | 12/30/2003

(3 out of 5 stars)

"I like the Wasulu sound, and I like Sali Sidibe's voice. It's just that this recording allows the merits of both to be drowned out. The worst part of it is, the fault could have been easily fixed. From the moment the keyboards come in to join the acoustic instruments, something's amiss: it's the tuning! Is it the other band members who are out of tune with the keyboards, or vice-versa? Whatever the case, a jarring lack of intonation marks this entire album, to the point that it becomes difficult (if you are sensitive to such things, anyway) to appreciate the songs.Is this what Sidibe was hoping for when she jetted off from Mali to the U.K. to record "WASSOULOU FOLI"? Surely not, but that's what she and her listeners got. It's second-rate stuff, adulterated by amateurish pop stylings courtesy of her British production crew. Not that I have anything against Britons, but in this case the lure of a slick European recording studio turned out to be a mirage. Sometimes an artist is better off keeping it simple and foregoing all the fancy trimmings. I wish Sidibe had done so for this album."