Bambay Gueej

Cheikh Lo

Product Details

• Audio CD (June 20, 2000)
• Original Release Date: June 6, 2000
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Nonesuch
• ASIN: B00004R8R6
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #172,334 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

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  Music > World Music > Africa > Senegal & Gambia

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

The beauty of Lô's debut, Né la Thiass ("Night and Day"), was its layered mbalax rhythms and Lô's melodic singing. On Bambay Gueej ("Bamba, Ocean of Peace"), Lô adorns these elements with funk and soul, satisfying fans of his music while drawing new ones. Bambay again features a forest of talking drums, the acoustic guitar, and Afro-Cuban horns, but the sound is more polished and the rhythms are more pronounced. James Brown's horn player, Pee Wee Ellis, arranged the brass in stronger outlines, and a Hammond organ floats into the mix. Lô's bright, raspy vocals on Né la Thiass sent chills up the spine as messages of spirituality soared to the heavens. His buoyant singing returns here, still dancing as delicately as an angel but not necessarily over music that's as vaporous as clouds. "N'Jarinu Garab" ("The Tree") is one of the more infectious cuts, as is the funky "Bambay Gueej." Oumou Sangaré's warm, watery voice appears on "Bobo Doulasso," dousing the grit of Lô's while conjuring a Malian folksong newly dressed in R&B clothes. This is a fine follow-up for Lô, not only due to his enormous talent, but also because he has a fully formed vision of who he is and what he's musically about. --Karen K. Hugg

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Long life to new Senegal music!, May 18, 2000

By	Giulio Mario Rampelli (Rome, RM Italy) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bambay Gueej (Audio CD)

Cheick Lo's Bambay Gueeji, released in Europe in 1999, is probably one of the best african records of the year. If Ne La Thiass was a great senegalese mbalax album, this new release is much more: a magic fusion between mbalax, James Brown's funky and cuban music.

The production is at the best, with the touch of Nick Gold and Youssou N'Dour. About the tracks: M'Beddemi is a senegalese version of "El Carretero" from Buena Vista with the contribution of Richard Egues, flute of Orchestra Aragon, Bambay Gueej is a funky where the horn section driven by Pee Wee Ellis is at his best, Africanden begin like a funky and breaks in a reggae rithm, Bobo-Dioulasso is a sweet ballad where you can listen a duet between Cheikh Lo and Oumou Sangare. Zirk is a song dedicated to Lo's spiritual master. But the track I like more is the joyfull and danceable Jeunesse Senegal. The Senegal's youth is live!

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The persistence of rhythm, September 14, 2000

By	wm "wordmule" (...onward....thru the fog!) - See all my reviews

This is a great CD worth its price ten times over. I have not heard any of Cheikh Lo's previous work, but this one shines. It's got a spectacular blend of Afro Caribbean and Cuban influences, but what really makes this CD stand out is the unbelievable talking drums. The percussion is beyond anything else that comes to mind, and keep in mind, I'm fairly deeply immersed in the so-called "world" music scene. Combine the percussion with a killer horn section straight out of James Brown(I believe it actually is JB's horn section), add some funky hammond organ, and you've got pure aural seduction. He actually quotes Fela Kuti musically at one point. So if you like the "African woman" interlude, you should check out Fela's London/Shakara CD as well.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Stayed in Rotation on CD-changer for months..., June 24, 2002

By	Bryan Dean Bradbury "ThirtyThirty" (La Porte, IN United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I don't understand a lick of the lyrics, but the emotion in this music could raise the dead. Cheik Lo beautifully melds the sounds of West Africa and the Americas (from Tierra del to the Keys, at least!) into something unique and shimmering.

I love both Bambay Gueej and Ne La Thiass, but have to admit I prefer Bambay's dynamic range. This album makes you smile, dance, and thank God that another day has arrived. I listened to this CD more than any other in the past year, and it still accompanies me on any trip I take!