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  Various Artists
Acoustic Africa (Putumayo PUT 254-2, 2006)
Sure, electrified African sounds- be they highlife, soukous, m'balax, benga,
mbaquanga or what have you -can bring about a primally sophisticated thrill like
no other. But the softer side of African music has been getting a lot of
attention too, with ongoing respect for the many longtime troubadour types who
hail from that very musical continent and newly found acclaim for the more
recently emergent ones.
Similar in scope and feel to their 2001 collection
African Odyssey, Putumayo's new
Acoustic Africa gives more than just star names a share of the spotlight.
Familiar voices like those of
Habib
Koité and
Angelique Kidjo (though hers is a previously unreleased track) sound prime
while the lesser-known artists slip comfortably into the batting order like old
friends.
Senegal's Diogal kicks things off via his immigrant saga "Sore" basking in a
wistful yet confident guitar and vocal style, followed by Eneida Marta from
Guinea-Bissau warbling assertively over accompaniment by harp and kora (nice
combination) in a call for women's equality. Also from Senegal is Laye Sow, who
sings with urgent warmth of strained relations between his country and its
northern neighbor on "Mauritania."
Gabriela Mendes proves herself the newest great voice from Cape Verde and the
youthful spunk of Ivory Coast's Dobet Gnahore (whose 2004 release
Ano Neko is a must) fuels "Palea," an unabashed declaration of
love. There's more, but I'll leave off the blow-by-blow and just say this is a
great collection with no bum tracks. Plus, the coinciding fall tour featuring
three of the album's artists (Koité,
Gnahoré and South Africa's
Vusi
Mahlasela) promises to be a good one.
Related stories:
Check
www.putumayo.com/acousticafrica for additional tour details.
Buy
Acoustic Africa.
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