Akwaaba

Francis Bebey | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (April 7, 1995)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Valley Media, Inc
• ASIN: B000000NSS
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #715,928 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #61 in Music > World Music > Africa > Cameroon

Track Listings

1. Akwaaba

2. Bissau

3. Binta Madiallo

4. Tumu Pakara

5. Sassandra

6. Di Sengi

7. Ngoma Likembe

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Incredible avant-Afrobeat, August 17, 2011

By 

410 - See all my reviews

This review is from: Akwaaba (Audio CD)

Francis Bebey is an atypical artist for this label, which is most well known for its anthologies of excellent dancebands and highlife music from the 1960s. Bebey also doubled as a novelist, which may give a clue to the ambition on this album. Akwaaba features a wide scope of techniques and styles that are integrated into a still fresh-sounding and unique amalgam.

The title track is a gorgeous span of thumb piano, but is followed by the otherworldly Bissau, in which pulsating bass provides foundation for Bebey's droning vocal and angular flute & thumb piano. Binta Madiallo again places the thumb piano up front, but the reverb-drenched, echo-ey production and Bebey's haunting vocal strains make it both eerie and beautiful. One could go on and on for each track; nothing is a throwaway here. Bebey made an incredible record that is both true to its folk roots, but forward looking without succumbing to pop cliches. I'd call it a classic if it weren't so unjustifiably obscure.

5.0 out of 5 stars innovative and deep, August 30, 2010

By 

James Graves (sebastopol, ca) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Akwaaba (Audio CD)

"This is one of the very best recordings of African music I have heard. I have been listening to a great deal of music of Africa for the last 30 years and this recording stands out as one of the top 5 (or top 2 for that matter). It may not be what you expect... some "pan" pipe flutes, some throat singing, some driving bass guitar lines, some tapping on a glass bottle ..etc... innovative and stellar musicianship."