|
|
 |
CD review
|
| Click Here to go back. |
CMJ New Music Monthly, CD review >>
MAMANI KEITA & MARC MINELLI
Electro Bamako (Palm Pictures)
Attempts to blend African roots music with the electronic aesthetics of club music tend to sound exploitative and gimmicky. If others succeed where others have failed, it's because Minelli slides a smooth layer of cooled-out jazz between Keita's wandering melodies and the restless sizzle of techno. It doesn't hurt that Keita's Bambara music background has strong natural affinities with the blues and funk. From the opening notes of "N'Ka Willy" with its lounge-y swing and underlying reggae feel, the sound here has soul. Keita's voice is piercing and nimble, easily able to cut through the music even when it becomes dense. She also sticks to strong, clear melodies whether in the bouncy, sing-song mode of "Demisenoun" the closest thing to a hook-laden pop hit here, or the racing expansive "Macary." Fast, brush-work drumming on tunes like the spare, guitar-driven "Abdoulayi Djodo" appear to be the work of a masterful jazz player, but the credits list no drummer. Programming? Sampling? Hard to imagine, but track after track, the "drummer" kicks. A few tracks like "Laydou," with its slow, funky feel and growling bassline, break the high-strung, techno mood. But there are no false steps here, just an inspired blend of fire and ice and tech, Africa and Europe getting down together as never before.>>>BANNING EYRE 06/01/03 >> go there
|
| Click Here to go back. |
|
 |
|
|
|
