Search - Putumayo Presents :: Acoustic Africa

An excellent compilation

And You May Find Yourself | Greece | 01/20/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I picked this up on a whim at my local CD shop. Not all Putumayo compilations are as good - this one has a consistent feel and excellent tracks. What made it really worth it for me was the discovery of artists I didn't know. Alongside big names like Angelique Kidjo and Faya Tess, there was the beautiful voice of Dobet Gnahore from the Cote d'Ivoire, Gabriela Mendes from Cabo Verde and two artists from Guinea-Bissau I'd like to hear more from."

Essential Listening

K. Hall | 11/04/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This disc will appeal not only to the dedicated world music afficianado, but will serve as a splendid introduction for the novice. I cannot recommend this highly enough.....in a collection of CDs that numbers in the thousands, this is truly a gem. Enjoy!!"

Great on the cd and even more so in person

derring dodette | Orlando | 11/01/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This new Putumayo release is an excellent introduction to the smooth and haunting melodies of the acoustic African sound. As with so many of their collections, buy this CD, pick your favorites, and follow their careers through other musical selections. Or better yet, if you still have time, catch the Acoustic Africa tour, and see Habib Koite, Vusi Mahlasela and Dobet Gnahore live!



We were lucky enough to catch this concert this past weekend in Boulder, and what an amazing experience. This was a fairly intimate venue (approximately 1000 in the full-looking event), and we were only 5 rows back from these wonderfully talented international performers.



Several songs began with a performer beginning to strum backstage, only to stroll out onto the stage singing, perhaps unaccompanied. Amazing!



This is Gnahore's introduction to American audiences, and she happily found a large number of French-speakers in the audience for her attempts at conversation. Though a woman small in stature, she belts out a huge sound, and while you can enjoy her song, "Palea" on the CD you will miss her awe-inspiring dancing if you do not see her in person.



Seeing Koite and Mahlasela in person was a huge treat, and hearing several of our favorite songs, sung by both artists was truly worth the trip. We heard "Red Song," Emtini Wababe," "Basimanyana," and the evening ended with "Pata Pata" from Vusi Mahlasela. "Cigarette Abana," "Baro," (I think) and several others from Koite were worth the trip in themselves.



The most exciting part of this concert proved to be the format - this was not structured with 3 sets, one for each artist. We got to hear each of the performers alone at least once, but generally they played together, sometimes in pairs, but frequently all three at once. The energy and talent exploding off that stage (with Bamada and other performers also playing backup) was truly mind-blowing.



Mahlasela and Koite, both amazingly talented, also proved to be funny and conversational with the crowd (happily in English for those of us limited to that language). After a rollicking performance of Koite's "Wassiye" which had the entire crowd on its feet, Mahlasela managed to quiet the crowd (quite an effort) by simply standing at the mic with his guitar, his eyes closed, and snoring. It took almost a full minute, but the crowd finally figured it out, and shut up, waiting for his next song, a much calmer one.



The program stepped up and down in intensity with the types of songs, but always at the same level of performance, and it is something I'd recommend to anyone who enjoys the acoustic African sound. Buy the CD, find some favorites, and enjoy!"