Customer Reviews

Palm Wine Sounds of S.E. Rogie

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The great Sierra Leonean musician Sooliman Ernest Rogie started his career in the early 1960s. He had a long string of hits of which the biggest was My Lovely Elizabeth. However, he only received a measure of success outside Africa in the late 1980s with this album.

Palm Wine music is a Ghanaian style first made famous by Kwame Asare; one of its most popular exponents was Kwaa Mensah. It derives its name from a tradition of being played in the villages during the afternoon siesta whilst the audience indulged in this beverage.

The sound is simple but elegant, consisting of gently flowing vocals backed by acoustic guitar and bubbling percussion. This lovely album opens with Joejoe Yalal Joe (I Lost My Wife), a gentle, poignant number with impressive guitar flourishes. Clua Koonde (It Knocked Me Out) is even more laid back, with long guitar passages between the verses, whilst Kekeh Kefarana (The Importance Of Children) is a moving ballad that sounds similar to traditional folk to these ears.

The tempo rises with Loe Loe Lalah (The Joy Of Love), which is one of my favorites with its lilting tune and lovely backing vocals. Ndomei Neneekpa (Oh Love) is slow soulful ballad with a more complex arrangement and Rogie talking as much as singing. There is delicate interplay between the parts with both voice and guitar and those with guitar only. This is definitely a highlight of the album.

The next song, Watigbe (Always) is mellow pop with a catchy tune, whilst Tourist Girl, sung partly in English, is a buoyant rhythmic number with a simple but effective hook. Another favorite of mine is Amoo Loe Lee (Let's Celebrate), a gently lilting folk-pop number with interesting vocal variation. Those who like the lovely sounds of Rogie might also wish to investigate South African singer Vusi Mahlasela, another musician in the folk tradition with a haunting voice. I highly recommend his albums When You Come Back and Wisdom Of Forgiveness.

The great Sierra Leonean musician Sooliman Ernest Rogie started his career in the early 1960s. He had a long string of hits of which the biggest was My Lovely Elizabeth. However, he only received a measure of success outside Africa in the late 1980s with this album.

Palm Wine music is a Ghanaian style first made famous by Kwame Asare; one of its most popular exponents was Kwaa Mensah. It derives its name from a tradition of being played in the villages during the afternoon siesta whilst the audience indulged in this beverage.

The sound is simple but elegant, consisting of gently flowing vocals backed by acoustic guitar and bubbling percussion. This lovely album opens with Joejoe Yalal Joe (I Lost My Wife), a gentle, poignant number with impressive guitar flourishes. Clua Koonde (It Knocked Me Out) is even more laid back, with long guitar passages between the verses, whilst Kekeh Kefarana (The Importance Of Children) is a moving ballad that sounds similar to traditional folk to these ears.

The tempo rises with Loe Loe Lalah (The Joy Of Love), which is one of my favorites with its lilting tune and lovely backing vocals. Ndomei Neneekpa (Oh Love) is slow soulful ballad with a more complex arrangement and Rogie talking as much as singing. There is delicate interplay between the parts with both voice and guitar and those with guitar only. This is definitely a highlight of the album.

The next song, Watigbe (Always) is mellow pop with a catchy tune, whilst Tourist Girl, sung partly in English, is a buoyant rhythmic number with a simple but effective hook. Another favorite of mine is Amoo Loe Lee (Let's Celebrate), a gently lilting folk-pop number with interesting vocal variation.