Customer Reviews

Mama Africa: The Very Best of Miriam Makeba

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

As the previous review says, this is a good collection. However, as I was trying to replace songs from two albums which apparently haven't been released on CD (1960's "Miriam Makeba" RCA album and the early '60's Kapp Records album "The Many Voices of Miriam Makeba"), this CD wasn't what I was looking for. Most of the songs sound nothing like the arrangements I loved on those albums. They would be great for a new audience, but for those who are looking to replace those early '60's records, don't expect this to be the same. If your intention isn't to replace 40-year-old albums, though, I would definitely recommend this CD.

MAMA AFRICA was touted as the very best of Makeba's works and it just is not. More than that, many of the cuts are backed by a full orchestra or backup that is terrible if you are used to Miriam's voice being foremost, with a light African music back up. On one cut, Miriam seems to be a back up singer for a male singer. This was painfully disappointing to hear. I finally found the album that really was the Miriam Makeba I had loved in the 60's and 70's: Miriam Makeba AFRICA.

Buy this just for tracks 1,4,15 and so on. To hear the early version of this voice is a pleasure in it self. But to hear the growth and development of an artist of this caliber is a rare treat indeed. Oh go ahead you know you want it.

When you play the Pata Pata "Sample" for this CD, you will hear the popular "Hit" version. However, when you play the actual CD, you will hear a completely different version. In my view, this is very deceptive!! The primary reason I purchaed this CD was for the "Hit" version of Pata Pata. What a disappointment!! However, I do like many of the songs on this CD and will not return it. Please be warned. Do not purchase this CD for Pata Pata!

Miriam Makeba was- is an amazing singer but this collection falls short. I would advise older original recording like: Africa, Pata Pata, even Live from Paris. You won't regret it.

I was expecting to hear some of the old songs with the same arrangements and backup bands. I was surprised to find not one single piece the same as I remembered. If you have no comparison, you would probably enjoy this gifted songstress. I found the quality overall to be disappointing.

I bought a copy of Miriam Makeba's "Africa", and LOVE it - the purity of the almost tribal element of the music is beautifully preserved on that recording, but not so much here on "Mama Africa". The songs contained on the CD may be considered some of Makeba's best, but it's hard to make that out with the way the album was edited. The volume is so punched up on all of the instruments that are supposed to be accompanying Ms. Makeba that it's well nigh impossible to pick her magnificent voice out in every song that I've heard on this album. In addition to that, the audio quality of the recording makes it sound like someone dredged this album up from the ocean floor decades after a circa-1920s release. The sound on this album is both poor quality and antiquated.

I'd suggest that you consider another album if you're looking for the great sound that Miriam Makeba was so famous for. I love "Africa" - every song on that album truly makes me feel as if I'm participating in a loving, jubilant celebration on a warm, spice-scented day in a tropical climate. I initially started looking at Ms. Makeba's work after seeing a recent auto ad that played her song "Pata Pata" - I'm willing to bet money that the version of the song used in the Honda (?) ad is from her album Her Essential Recordings: The Empress of African Song. I've got that on its way to me now, and I have no doubt that THAT collection will be the "Greatest Hits" I was hoping for here. Don't give up on your search for the best of her music - just be aware that the sound quality here detracts from what made her famous in the first place.

I bought the wrong album as i was busy purchasing and Listening to sample tracks. Regret because i don't listen to the CD. Would like to sell it. Please help on ideas to sell it back.

In many respects, this album was sleepier than Pata Pata. It's versatile, with some 40's flavored pieces alternating with gospel and African folk-style pieces. Many times I found it difficult to keep my legs still when listening.

Mama Africa! What a proper name for the Queen of African Song. This collection has all the great songs from Miriam. It plays choronoligically from her earliest recording up to her most recent records. The melodies are infectious and Miriam makes you want to know more about the plight of the people of Africa she describes in her songs. This is a must-have for lovers of South African music.