Mansa of Mali: Retrospective

Salif Keita | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (March 29, 1994)
• Original Release Date: March 21, 1994
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Mango
• ASIN: B000003QLD
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #337,758 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Sina

2. Mandjou

3. Nyanafin

4. Ignadjidje

5. Nou Pas Bouger

6. Djembe

7. Souareba

8. Tenin

9. Sanni Kegniba

10. Dalimansa

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful introduction to Africal music, May 15, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Mansa of Mali: Retrospective (Audio CD)

Salif Keita is one of the most renowned World artists.This album is a wonderful collection of his best works and represents a fantastic introduction to his music and to music of the region in general ( Baba Maal, Youssou N'Dour etc ). Track 4 "Nyanafin" is a sublime piece of music and will wear out your repeat button. It will make you want to buy all his other works.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent greatest hits collection, September 20, 2003

By 

Pieter "Toypom" (Johannesburg) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Mansa of Mali: Retrospective (Audio CD)

This Best Of collection opens with Keita's great hit Sina from his masterful Soro album, an ebullient piece where his soaring voice is framed by soulful female vocals and polyrhythmic beats.

The more laid-back Mandjou has a jazzy structure, skittering beat and yearning vocals. One of my favorite songs is the catchy Nyanafin (from the album Amen) with its tinkling hand-piano sounds, wailing backing vocals and rolling rhythms - a stunner!

The up-tempo Ignadjidje is a gentle pop song whilst Nou Pas Bouger is a funky, brassy number. Djembe is a subdued, soulful affair, the spacious Souareba an evocative mix of Western and African sounds and Tenin is a light, dance friendly track with engaging keyboard and drum patterns.

The atmospheric track Sanni Kegniba starts out with eerie muffled vocals and a solitary drum sound before developing into one of Keita's powerful ballads. The album closes with the lilting pop tune Dalimansa.

My only complaint is the omission of Yele n Na and Karifa from the Amen album. These amazing songs also deserved a second hearing, but overall The Mansa Of Mali is a superb introduction to this popular Malian musician.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful music from Mali, April 5, 2003

By 

"jagochi9" (Baton Rouge, LA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mansa of Mali: Retrospective (Audio CD)

This is one of the most beautiful and interesting albums I own. My husband and I traveled to Mali several years ago and became interested in the music there. This album took all the good parts of the music of Mali and added world music to it. While listening to it you can almost see the women picking okra in a field and smell the scents coming from the outdoor markets. I would recommend this to anyone. You don't have to speak Salif Keita's language to appreciate the beauty of this album.