CD Review: Seckou Keita's 'Miro'

Seckou Keita
Miro
Astar Artes

Senegalese vocalist, kora player, and drummer, Seckou Keita, produces yet another fine album of soothing, West African music steeped in scintillating rhythms, crystal clear sounds, earthy percussion, and glorious vocals. Miro is a ten-track release with songs featuring various languages, including Mandinka, Wolof, Djoola, Malinke, Spanish, and Bambara. "Distance" is a completely instrumental tune with kora melodies at the forefront. Some of the tunes incorporate the calabash, bass, bougarabou, shakers, cajon, balafon, maracas, flute, and violin. The music is instrumentally-rich, but not overbearing by any means. Instead, Seckou knows how to evoke emotive reactions with serene music and styles mainly rooted in West African textures. While the songs are not particularly catchy, they do possess an inherent, addictive quality that is very welcoming and worthy of repeated listens. ~ Matthew Forss

CD Review: Catrin Finch/Seckou Keita's 'Clychau Dibon'

Catrin Finch/Seckou Keita
Clychau Dibon
Astar Artes Recordings

The Welsh harpist, Catrin Finch, joins forces with Senegal's kora master, Seckou Keita, for an unforgettable and instrumental journey devoted exclusively to string music. The West African kora culture meets the Welsh harp culture for truly great results. The strings are effervescent, soothing, and timeless. The glorious melodies are peaceful and meditative without additional instrumentation or vocals. The wholly instrumental work is a thing of beauty that is rarely created in today's society. The seven long tracks encompass the listener with crystalline melodies and slightly organic musings that are very sweet, sensual, and complimentary. Anyone with an interest in harps, koras, and related instruments will love the new work, Clychau Dibon, from two of the world's best string musicians. ~ Matthew Forss