Search - Salif Keita :: Soro

Soro
Salif Keita
Soro
Genres: International Music, Pop
 
  •  Track Listings (6) - Disc #1

Known throughout the world as the golden voice of Mali, Salif Keita was already a star in world music circles before the release of his debut solo album SORO shot him to international stardom. Keita's personal and musical ...  more »

     
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CD Details

All Artists: Salif Keita
Title: Soro
Members Wishing: 0
Total Copies: 0
Label: Stern's Africa
Original Release Date: 4/24/2007
Re-Release Date: 10/5/1999
Genres: International Music, Pop
Style: Africa
Number of Discs: 1
SwapaCD Credits: 1
UPC: 740042102026

Synopsis

Product Description
Known throughout the world as the golden voice of Mali, Salif Keita was already a star in world music circles before the release of his debut solo album SORO shot him to international stardom. Keita's personal and musical history is long and fascinating. Born a visually impaired albino, he is descended from a great warrior king of the Manding Empire and risked familial disgrace by becoming a musician, a job traditionally seen as for the lower classes. After achieving some success with West African bands like Les Ambassadeurs, Keita moved toward a harder-rock sound tempered by his glorious soaring tenor voice. Produced by the legendary Ibrahima Sylla, SORO broke new ground by blending the traditional griot music of Mali with Euro-Pop sounds and top-flight Western production. The track "Wamba" burns hot with a funky big-band sound that uses a synthesizer to keep the beat and a choir of earthy back-up singers to keep it real. The title track "Soro"also gets the heavy synth treatment, but a chorus of handclaps and Keita's vocal make this track the most moving and effective. The album's explosive energy paired with Keita's vocal sound and phrasing results in a remarkable album.

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CD Reviews

Love at first bar
06/13/2001
(5 out of 5 stars)

"The first time I heard the music of Salif Keita was in Senegal in 1993. I found SORO on tape in a market in Dakar. I fell in love with his music the first time I listened to him. There is something almost spiritual that moved me when I heard his voice. When I saw him in concert in Washington, DC in 1994, I was not disappointed. His concerts are definitely an experience. I took a couple of friends with me and they were truly impressed with his performance."
I haven't stopped playing this album for 3 years
Pieter | 12/12/2000
(5 out of 5 stars)

"Complex, rythmic, melodic, and wonderfully unique. I still get shivers everytime "Cono" (sample track 5) plays."
Masterpiece of Malian Music
Pieter | Johannesburg | 05/16/2004
(4 out of 5 stars)

"Soro turned into a great hit for Salif Keita in the late 1980s and was the album that established him on the international scene. Keita's music is a successful blend of the traditional griot style with influences from Latin America and other West African pop styles. The female backup singers play a prominent role in the arrangements, at least equal to Keita's own searing vocals. The music is a happy mix of percussion, bass, guitar, congas, saxophone, trumpet, trombone and keyboards. Soro (Afriki) is a long piece in three parts with different percussive tempos and instrumental breaks. Souareba is a particularly moving song with a spiritual undertone, orchestral arrangement and soaring vocals. Sina (Soumbouya) is a more traditional piece with a bubbling rhythm, flashes of trumpet and the intricate vocal interplay. With its slower pace and gently lilting rhythm, Cono is a soulful ballad with a lovely melody, whilst the mournful Sanni Kegniba is more traditional with intense soaring vocals. Soro from 1987 is considered his masterpiece but I like Keita's albums Amen and The Mansah Of Mali even more for their greater variety. This however remains a classic of African crossover music."