Oxfam Africa

Various Artists (Artist) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (August 28, 2001)
• Original Release Date: 2001
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: World Music Network
• ASIN: B00005NBV6
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #597,131 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #99 in Music > World Music > Africa > Algeria

Track Listings

1. Xarit - Youssou N'Dour

2. Ceilan - Sona Diabete

3. Abami - Lagbaja!

4. Booya - Aisha Kandisha's Jarring Effects

5. Nediha Gaouria - Bellemou

6. Attentat - Koffi Olomide

7. Ohawha - Eyuphuro

8. Shangara - Batanai Marimba

9. Allo Cheri - Tarika

10. The Mountain - Abdullah Ibrahim

11. Otilia/Otilio - Tito Paris

12. Prisoner - Lucky Dube

13. AIDS - Mabulu

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

If you want to take a painless crash course in African music while also doing something for charity, Oxfam Africa--with its enhanced addendum on Oxfam--is the ideal CD for you. Its music is expertly chosen, combining the obvious with the relatively recherché. Youssou N'Dour is here (mercifully in his 1980s guise), as is the seductive music of Sona Diabate and the veteran Mozambican group Eyuphuro. For a touch of top-class jazz we get Abdullah Ibrahim in an expansively dreamy mood, and from Cape Verde--that extraordinary musical outcrop in the Atlantic--comes the irresistible Tito Paris, with his Portuguese textures and rhythms. Reggae king Lucky Dube is here with his crusading "Prisoner," as is the fascinating Malagasy group Tarika, exploring their newfound Indonesian roots. The most unexpected tracks come from the Maghreb: Aisha Kandisha's Jarring Effects, from Morocco (trance, ambience, and house), and from Algeria, rai king Messaoud Bellemou. If you're new to the music of Africa, this CD, with its intelligent notes, will send you off in a dozen new directions. --Michael Church

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Africa, April 24, 2009

By 

Dale Dimelo (Seattle, WA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Oxfam Africa (Audio CD)

This summary of Africa's music obviously has to include a huge variety of music from the continent, and it does. It's mostly because African music is not my favorite that the rating is not higher. There are styles to be expected, like Senegalian pop from Youssou N'Dour, Congolese soukous, (which on this album sunds sad rather than happy), and a great track from Nigeria, Abami, which is a fusion of "Afro-pop, Afro-beat and Afro-jazz," and rolls along in an adictive way. But this album also includes a lot of side trips to other African styles you don't usually hear, including Arabic tracks from Morocco and Algeria; Arabesque from Aisha Kandisha's Jarring Effects, and Bellemou, who contributes a catchy song in the Algerian rai style. There's also great Latin-sounding Portuguese music from Cape Verde, a French-language song from Madagascar, and soulful South African reggae (Lucky Dube's Prisoner, with its powerful lyrics). There's also some traditional music, as well as a very westernized jazz track. There's a very beautiful song from Guinea, and a slow, sad song about Aids. Much of this album is really made for dancing. Some of the songs I like very much, and others I don't appreciate as much. Some of the proceeds go to helping Oxfam and its wonderful work worldwide, which is great.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars not bad, but frustrating, July 29, 2008

By 

George Banjo "George Banjo" (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Oxfam Africa (Audio CD)

It's not bad. I'm new to African music, but I was hoping to find some stuff from Mali, Kenya, Ethiopia or Tanzania here - and there's nothing from there. There's a lot from southern Africa; two tracks from Mozambique, two from South Africa, and stuff from Madagascar, Zimbabwe and the Congo. Interesting tracks from Morocco (electronic Arabesque) and Algeria (Spanish inflected rai).

In general, though, there's a definite pop or modern sound to ALL of the music here. I was hoping to get more traditional African music in what's supposed to be an overview of African music. The unauthentic jazz track from Ibrahim Abdullah (South Africa) really irritated me, and the English language reggae track from Lucky Dube didn't really sound African. Tito Paris track from Cape Verde almost sounded like an excuse to slip Latin music into an African compilation. Though it sounds like cliche, I had hoped to get the feel of the elephants, Maasai, rhinos and national parks that is really Africa.

The enhanced portion of the CD was very enlightening, showing how Oxfam helps in Africa. Perhaps I'm being too harsh to a release whose sale goes to charity. But it was a short CD in length, and they could have replaced the jazz track with some music from Mali.

Some people will love this CD I'm sure, but I liked only half or more of it. Still, it's not too bad