Customer Reviews

Dununya

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Famoro Dioubate is a balafon (African xylophone) master from one of the most prestigious griot (musician/storyteller) families in Guinea. With his ensemble Kakande, named for his ancestral village, Dioubate presents a new music CD album Dununya, which brings the wonders of African musical tradition to a worldwide audience. Vocals, flutes, guitars, and cellos complemented by Dioubate's heavenly touch upon the balafon coalesce into a cross-cultural masterpiece of rhythm, allegorical wisdom, and African dialogue. Highly recommended as a welcome addition to international and public library music CD collections. The tracks are Kakande, Bani, Mariama Traore, Nina Kaba, Souaresi, Paya Paya, Bouba Sylla, Dununya, Mali Sadjo, So Si Sa, and Temedi Kota.

Malian balafon player Famoro Dioubate and vocalist Missia Saran Dioubate lead this energetic ensemble in a set that opens with a real bang, on the propulsive pop tune, "Kakande," which combines the manic beauty of Zimbabwean chimurenga music to the lush melodicism of Mali. It's a great, groovy, irresistible African pop song, one that will send you back to hit the "replay" button a time or two. The rest of the album is mellower and set at a more relaxed pace, but it mines familiar, comforting terrain. Like so many others, Famoro comes from a long line of musical masters, and as a young, up-and-coming virtuoso, he shows a lot of promise here. Looking forward to the next album! (DJ Joe Sixpack, Slipcue World Music Guide)