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Women
of Africa (Putumayo)
On this joyful and uplifting collection
of some of Africa’s prominent female vocalists, Putumayo
got the mix right once again. “Women of Africa” is
not definitive but certainly indicative. While African men dominate
music from an instrumentation point of view, African women traditionally
are the singers and storytellers who convey the message through
voice and are encouraged to sing and dance from an early age as
part of a complex social structure where this culture is integral
to everyday life. There are so many wonderful divas in Africa
today it is impossible to pack them all into one collection yet
this is a great start or a nice addition to an African music collection.
The album opens with the warm tones of “Le Tshephile Mang”
from Sth African songstress Judith Sephuma. Benin pop queen Angelique
Kidjo takes over on the second track with pop ballad “Bahia”,
paying tribute to the region of Brazil which has been an influence
in her more recent work. Not my favourite track of hers but warm
and organic nonetheless, although her sound has a more polished
detachment about it these days than her earlier stuff… a
nice track if not a little repetitive.
We move on to the vibrant sound of Cape Verde, where the union
of Africa and Portugal merge in the beautiful “Mi Nada Um
Ca Tem”, by Maria de Barros, goddaughter of the barefoot
diva herself Cesaria Evora.
Sibongile Khumalo contributes “Mayihlome and Tarika feature
with “Retany” -lilting strings, beautiful harmonies
and a tropical flavour. Kaissa’s “To Ndje” comes
next – an interesting R’n’B number with spacey
keyboards and kit drum – nice. The jazzy “Mfan’
Omncane” by Sth African Dorothy Masuka is gorgeous and a
pleasant surprise and Nawal’s “Hima” is a nice
simple morsel from Comoros, just percussion and guitar and lovely
vocals. The soukouss tinged “Abiani” by Dobet Gnahore
gives a taste of music from the Ivory Coast, followed by singer/songwriter
Souad Massi and the exquisite, haunting “Raoui”. Hailing
from Algeria and interviewed on these pages (FEATURE ARTISTS),
Massi provides one of the stand out tracks on this CD.
The next one is also a standout track – “Sina Mali,
Sina Deni” (Free) by Khadja Nin from Burundi reaches spine-tingling
levels when she cries out “I’m free!’ backed
by an uplifting chorus conveying passion and liberation. The collection
closes with Women of Mambazo and “Vimba”, the group
formed by Nellie Shabalala, the wife of Joseph Shabalala, leader
of Zulu group Ladysmith Black Mambazo. A splendid collection.
Cristina Dio
