Afriki

by Habib Koite

Overview

In the six years since Mali's Habib Koite released his last new studio album, he developed a reputation in the West as one of his country's greatest cultural exports. On Afriki, Koite has fine-tuned his carefully manicured approach to melodic, acoustic-based songs of deep personal and global meaning. Always an engaging singer and songwriter, Koite's guitar is on equal footing here; his playing and the overall musicianship of his band, Bamada, outshines anything they offered in their previous outings. Koite exhibits a newfound sensitivity in his playing, always intricate, evocative, rhythmic and moving. Some of the instrumental work is reminiscent of the folk guitar styles of the '60s, but on tracks like the exquisite "N'Teri," a simple song of thanks, Koite brings in lush orchestration and background vocalists, as well as an array of native African instruments such as the balofon and n'goni. Other tracks, among them the album-opening "Namania" and "Africa" (with horns arranged by James Brown veteran Pee Wee Ellis), a song calling for African self-reliance, apply Koite's guitar, soulful voice and the gap-filling backup singers to a more polyrhythmic setting. "Fimani" reunites Mali with the blues it spawned, while the closing "Titati" is a solo showcase for Koite's lone (but never lonesome) guitar. Some may say that the key to Koite's escalating popularity lies in an eagerness to look outside of Mali for ideas to incorporate with his own; that may be so, but that's not such a bad thing at all if the result is an uplifting, empowering world music that truly does bring together so much of the world, in such a warm and enchanting way. ~ Jeff Tamarkin

Product Details

Release Date:	09/25/2007
Label:	CUMBANCHA
UPC:	0890846001053

Tracks

1. Namania
2. N'Tesse
3. Africa
4. Fimani
5. N'Ba
6. Mali Ba
7. Barra
8. N'Teri
9. Nta Dima
10. Massak¿¿
11. Titati

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Habib Koite   Primary Artist,Guitar,Vocals
Bamada   Primary Artist
Keletigui Diabate   Balafon,Violin
Steve Ferraris   Congas
Pee Wee Ellis   Saxophone
Dobet Gnahore   Drums
Madou Sanogo   Djembe
Jan Jacobs   Alto
Abdoul Wahab Berthe   Bass,Ngoni,Vocals (Background)
Andra Kouyate   Ngombi
J. Neil Sidwell   Trombone
Boubacar Sidibe   Guitar,Harmonica,Vocals (Background)
Mahamadou Kone   Doum-doum,Talking Drum
Francoise Derissen   Violin

Technical Credits

Lane Gibson   Engineer
Pee Wee Ellis   Horn Arrangements
Habib Koite   Composer
Michel DeBock   Executive Producer
Youri Lenquette   Photography
Jacob Edgar   Associate Producer
Genevieve Bruyndonckx   Executive Producer
Dirk Leunis   Photography