Customer Reviews

Acoustic Africa

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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.

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!!

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!

This is a very nice CD with acoustic guitar music from Africa. While I prefer some of the other African CDs, this one is great to play in the car when driving and it grows on you. The music is soft and sweet.

The last time Putumayo specifically made an acoustic African album was 2001's great "African Odyssey." Five years later,they returned in strong form with "Acoustic Africa." This album is a musical safari,journeying through the soothing acoustic sounds of Senegal,Madagascar&Cape Verde.

Diogal's "Sore" is a powerful lament opening the album,describing the plight of immigrants.Eneida Marta,from Guinea-Bissau,harmoniously encourages women to the accompaniment of the kora (African harp),calabash (gourd)&Western harp.Rajery,from Madagascar,accompanies himself powerfully on the valiha (bamboo harp);his song echoes the Indonesian roots of the Malagasy people--it blends African&Asian harmonies.Angelique Kidjo's "Sedjedo" is rousing&anthemic.If it weren't acoustic,it would be a power ballad.Laye Sow's "Mauritania" is a touching plea for peace.Gabriela Mendes' "Tradicao" is stately,a Cape Verdean morna that is almost a waltz.Habib Koite's "Baro" is a quiet love song.Manecas Costa's "Antonia" is a moving tribute to a woman in Berkeley who gave him a place to stay during one of his tours.

It's too bad I wasn't able to see the Acoustic Africa concert when it came to my town.However,when I drove back from work,I think I saw the dreadlocked Habib Koite in the upstairs green room of the local opera house.

"Acoustic Africa" is yet another astounding African compilation from Putumayo.If you enjoy acoustic or African music,this is perfect!

A must if you are to feel Africa's music roots from an acoustic point of view. Regardless when you listen this cd, the music flows easily on you.

This CD is great - once again, the folks at Putamayo have pulled together an outstanding collection and have done and excellent job of producing it.

I LOVE this Cd. It's got the most beautiful songs and it puts me in a relaxed and happy mood. Music really has to be good to do that for me because I am picky. If you love acoustic music and African music like I do then you'll find this CD to be perfect for you.

I picked up this sampler - 12 tracks by 12 different musicians - at the sprawling Dussman's Book/Music store on Friedrichstrasse in formerly communist East Berlin. The selection there of African music was dauntingly huge. Even though Dussman's allows you to listen peacefully to any CD in the store, I couldn't imagine how to 'catch up' with the musical creativity of a whole continent. So I bought this sampler, which I could have easily found in a coffee shop in the States. Ah! The impatience of youth!

It's a wonderful selection. Of the twelve artists represented, I took a fancy to more than half. Then I came straight here, to the banks of the amazon, to search for the chosen favorites. Wonder of wonders, I found at least one CD from each of them. Though one of those was unavailable, the rest all featured samples. A couple, most prominently Angelique Kidjo from Benin, had multiple CDs, rave reviews, high sales ranks, and imposing lists of jazz and pop collaborators. On the down side, a couple of my choices had been misrepresented; the track on "Acoustic Africa" turned out to be atypical of their music, more authentically African and expressive than the bulk of their material.

But there were Aha! moments. The most exciting, to my ears, is Rajery (track 3) from Madagascar, who plays a tubular bamboo harp with strings made of bicycle brake cables, called a "valiha". He, or someone in his band, also sings. The lyrics are not included in this Putumayo sampler. I've ordered two of Rajery's CDs. I assume I'll have more to report after they arrive.

Also appealing, to me, were Vusi Mahlasela from South Africa; Habib Koite from Mali; Dobet Gnahore from Cote d'Ivoire; Gabriela Mendes from Cabo Verde; and Laye Sow from Mauritania, the only one whose broader work isn't available just now. Rhythmic enthusiasm is perhaps the only thing they all have in common. But take note: if you trust my taste, I've saved you the cost of this CD and the work of searching for the artists. Go immediately to the samples, and hear for yourselves.

I finally found another Putumayo cd that is as good as their Greek compilation. From the moment I first listened to ACOUSTIC AFRICA, I knew that this album was going to receive as much play in my stereo and on my ipod. This isn't my first glimpse into African music but it certainly is the first time that music from Africa has really stuck with me. I immensely enjoyed "Sedjedo" by Angelique Kidjo. I love the harmonies between Angelique and her back up singers. I also enjoyed the gentle beats of the percussion instruments. The harmonies on all of the songs are wonderful. They match well with the dextrous acoustic skills of the artists or the musicians they work with. There is not one song on the album that I didn't like. Putumayo does it again and put out another great compilation of world music.