Wanita [IMPORT]

Rokia Traore

Product Details

• Audio CD (July 11, 2000)
• Original Release Date: July 11, 2000
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Import
• Label: Indigo France
• ASIN: B00004SPOL
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #33,862 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

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  Music > World Music > Africa > Mali

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
When Rokia Traore turned to non-Malian vocal styles on Wanita, she didn't opt for an obvious Western approach like fellow West African diva Angelique Kidjo, who steeps her songs in funk. Instead, Traore's multilayered singing has the delicate complexity of Zap Mama alumnus Sally Nyolo's Tribu plus the gentility of chamber music. Instrumentation hews to the traditional arsenal of her country's griot troubadours, though with a modern edge. Rokia contributes acoustic guitar to a solid ensemble of balafon marimba, ngoni ba four-string guitar, djemba hand drum, electric bass, and kora harp from whirlwind Toumani Diabate. "Souba," based none too obviously on an Indian raga, shows her willingness to stretch boundaries in unexpected directions while the title track lingers on lush harmonies seldom heard in African pop. The hushed atmosphere of her performances may lack the raw soulfulness of Mali's best-known female vocalist, Oumou Sangare, but Traore's melodic hooks and quiet acrobatics prove the truth of the old adage that a whisper can be more dramatic than a shout. --Bob Tarte.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Something Completely Different, July 16, 2000

By A Customer

So-called Afro-pop has needed an overhaul for a decade, something to take it past the post-Hendrix, post-Fela, post-Marley esthetic. This is so unusual, so sensitive and plainly spoken, it feels like secrets everyone needs to hear. My friends and I can't stop talking about or listening to this album, which we just got in France, and everybody says seeing her in concert is even better. Her voice is like pure angelic electricity, with a strong heart beating under it. This is smart, emotional world music with a world of difference to it.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A New Voice in Malian Music, July 11, 2000

By	D. A Reichley "Daveming" (Jamaica, New York United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Thank you Rokia Traore for delivering something really fresh - the musical territory is familiar (to those who listen to Malian music), yet it shows a maturity which belies her relatively young age (she's in her early 20's). It exudes the kind of clarity and vision that usually comes from a veteran, but it also has something else, call it youthful "spunk" - and without the cheesy, pop-driven attributes that undermine other music, Malian or otherwise. Her vocal sound is a bit different from other women singers from Mali, yet you can hear the influence of those great ones who have come on before her (Ami Koita, Nahawa Doumbia). And I don't know if the backing ensemble is her "band", but they sure play like one - it doesn't sound like a recording with players brought in just for the session. This record has a SOUND. This is some music from someone who knows what she wants - check it out!

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A multi-cultural delight!, August 29, 2000

By	Mary L. Hatch "Leone" (Fairbanks, Ak United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is a tremendous CD. I whole-heartedly recommend it. Roika presents a varied palate from traditional Malian sounds (West Africa) to smooth french approaching jazz. It is beautiful and delicate while retaining an underlying power implying solid grounding in traditional musicianship and an intelligent, soulful approach. The CD is accessible to the listener who is not accustomed to African rhythms and would be a wonderful introduction for those who are curious about dipping into the burgeoning music scene in Mali. (I would suggest Habib Koite's "Ma Ya" as a second step) I'd call it a "must have" for the serious enthusiast as well!