04/06/2007

Rokia Traoré - Bowmboï (2004)

«Un volto d'Africa dai tratti delicati, una voce leggera, delle canzoni diafane e sognanti. Rokia Traoré è una giovane songwriter del Mali, che scrive canzoni secondo la più classica metodologia occidentale, ovvero articolando melodie sulla chitarra e muovendo le trame per assecondare musica e parole (in lingua madre), che vivono in profonda simbiosi con l'emotività del gesto musicale. Ma le canzoni di Rokia significano qualcosa di nuovo sia per il pubblico occidentale ancora molto legato al tipico modello "afro", più ritmico che lirico, sia per il pubblico del suo paese, per il quale la musica di Rokia suona come evidente rottura nei confronti della tradizione. Melodie modali molto semplici, intonate in modo cristallino, ma sorrette da un intenso quanto complesso tessuto poliritmico, soprattutto in quei brani in cui agiscono strumenti come balafon (Adama Diarra) e n'goni (Mamah Diabaté), liuto sub-sahariano dal sinuoso suono metallico. Tessiture trasparenti, mai sovraccaricate da una valente produzione che sa avvalersi di buone scelte timbriche, artefici della complessiva raffinatezza di Bowmboï.
Meno emozionante invece la partecipazione del Kronos Quartet, che svolge il suo compito con sospetta professionalità, mettendo in evidenza la freddezza di certe partecipazioni "a distanza", spesso null'altro che trovate di un marketing ansioso di accoppiare "parole chiave". Digiti "Kronos Quartet", ti appare "Rokia Traoré".» (Altremusiche)

«On paper Rokia Traore is a bit of a radical. She's one of Mali's leading new singers, although she's not a traditional griot musician. She tries new ideas, combining traditional instruments that aren't usually brought together, and on this album works with the classical musicians, the Kronos Quartet.To my untrained ear her experiments are entirely successful.
The daughter of a Malian' diplomat she built her career in France before returning to Mali and is only now becoming a star there.On this, her third album, she sounds right at the heart of the traditions of West African music.
Rokia's vocal style is very much her own. She doesn't have the high pitched, keening, attack of Oumou Sangare, or the rougher, deeper tang of Kandia Kouyate, both of them great female artists from Mali. Her voice is quavery and bird-like, soft, fragile and attractive. Curiously, it reminds me a little of Ethiopian and even Asian vocal styles. But it has an inner power, and on the faster paced songs shesings with impressive authority. "Mariama", is a passionate, intense duet with male griot singer Ousame Sacko, and one of the album's highlights.
The gentleness of Rokia's voice means this album is a reflective, subtle experience even on the faster songs like "Sara" or "Kote Don". And the two collaborations with The Kronos Quartet work extremely well. The strings lay down a pulsing layer of shifting tones and Rokia murmurs and declaims over them, and on the lovely "Manian" there's a little vocal part that sounds like Laurie Anderson's "O Superman". These tracks don't feel like experiments at all; they sound like something that could have been created in West Africa anytime in the last thousand years.
This is an album full of contemplative and meditative pleasures. If you love Malian music you will probably already have heard of Rokia. If you haven't Bowmboi is certainly worth adding to your collection.» (Nick Reynolds, BBC)

Official Website: http://www.rokiatraore.net/

Link in comments

14 comments:

DJ Radu said...

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Anonymous said...

Great. I'm curious. Thanks, babe!

Unknown said...

thanx, very good!

Anonymous said...

Thanks a lot! Rokia is great. I have another album "Wanita". I`m going to post it in my LJ.

Anonymous said...

BIG thank you again:)))

vagabond kiwi said...

thanks, I like Rokia

atlee said...

This disc is beautiful beyond words. Thanks for yet another great post!

atlee said...

Where can I find Valery's LiveJournal?

Anonymous said...

A lovely album thank you.

GastroBoy said...

Thanks, downloading to see what´s this one like.

Anonymous said...

I downloaded this.
Eccelente davvero!!!
gracias

Anonymous said...

So so nice!!!! Thanks, many thanks!!!!

Anonymous said...

Hello, It's the hidden track Yankadi,in your post?

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