Kita Kan

Kandia Kouyate | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 19, 1999)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Stern's Africa
• ASIN: B00000J7RB
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #353,201 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautifully rich in sound and texture, June 16, 2002

By 

Friederike Knabe (Ottawa, Ontario Canada) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Kita Kan (Audio CD)

Kita Kan in Kandia Kouyate's native Maninka language means "the voice of Kita", a historic town in western Mali. Kandia Kouyate is one of the foremost voices of Mali. Basing herself on the tradition of the "griot", she has created her own style, adding jazz and modern dance elements to the classical rhythms and harmonies of traditional Malian melodies.

This is a wonderful collection of songs, all written and composed by Kandia Kouyate. Her rich contralto voice exudes strength and warmth and is a sheer pleasure to listen to. "Kita Kan" represents a good cross selection of her repertoire and talent. Her ballades in the griot style are beautifully accompanied by kora (the West African harp), ngoni, (the ancient African lute), and balaphon (a local xylophone type instrument). The accompanists are also well-known artists in their own right in Mali. For the listeners who are not so familiar with West African music, they will find this collection an excellent introduction - several songs have melodies and rhythms easily accessible to the `western' ear. Kandia Kouyate is accompanied by a string orchestra for these - a very successful, if unusual, arrangement.

Typically for "griot" singers, Kandia Kouyate addresses day-to-day social issues in many of her songs. One does not need to understand the lyrics to experience the power of the message that she conveys. For interested readers, the comprehensive CD notes summarize the songs. They also provide a detailed biography of the artist and describe her rise to fame beyond the borders of Mali.

A treasure and an essential addition for your CD collection.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Simply stunning!, February 4, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Kita Kan (Audio CD)

An amazing voice! Kandia Kouyate is one of those once every twenty years magical voices, gifts somehow to the Universe. The liner notes speak of audience members at her concerts, trancing, and I can surely understand why. For any of you who know Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, here, it feels, we have the female equal - in power and in the use of that power. Incredible voice! And the music is wonderfully accessible, even for those perhaps not accustomed to African music. Great rhythms, wonderful instruments, a marvelous background to this stunning contralto voice of pure power. Native of Mali, she is considered their greatest living female singer, a legend in her time. Listen, and you'll know why! I cannot recommend highly enough, _Kita Kan_, Kandia Kouyati's first solo album, and surely not her last. Don't miss this one!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One word - WOW!, June 4, 2003

By 

Cherie (Stafford, Texas United States) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Kita Kan (Audio CD)

I LOVE this! The entire Cd speaks to the soul from her first blast to the last tender hum. This Lady manages to add strings and horns to traditional Malian instruments and yet avoids (thank GOD!) the horrendous 'pop-ish-ness' we've been asked to stomach from Keita, Maal and the like. This is without a doubt the most played Cd in my collection!

Of special note is tracks 2 & 5. Track 2 is perhaps the most powerful song ever written - the lushness of the instrumentation and this fine Lady's voice, which soars beyond anything we have currently on the market, mark this song as a classic!

As for Track 5, with Bambino - the blending of their voices and the angelic girls in the back - what can one say about it. It has a catchy beat in that you find yourself swaying and bopping before you realize what you're doing. Ah, yes.....

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