CD Review: Tiken Jah Fakoly's 'African Revolution'

Tiken Jah Fakoly

African Revolution

Barclay

A musical 'revolution' is coming out of Africa and Tiken Jah Fakoly is its leader. An Ivory Coast-native, Tiken primarily sings about politics, war, and social change. The songs are sung in French and English. The music is similar in sound to contemporaries Carlou D or Toussaint, whom also have origins in West Africa. This is modern music with a modern beat. The instrumental repertoire is extensive, and includes bass, drums, guitars, ngoni, balafon, kora, soukou, tama, yabara, banjo, ukulele, assorted percussion, and electronic elements. The final product is an ear-friendly collection of songs drawing from reggae, cool jazz, pop/rock, and French music. The swaying rhythms, hard-hitting lyrics, engaging sounds, and sincere vocals make African Revolution one of the best releases of the year! Head to the Ivory Coast for soul-stirring, musical pleasure...or your nearest music store for African Revolution. ~ Matthew Forss

CD Review: Senegal's Carlou D

Carlou D

Muzikr

World Village

Senegalese musician, Carlou D, is a fixture in the Dakar music scene. A vocalist and guitarist, Carlou D provides a young, hip voice in the West African music arena. His latest release, Muzikr, is so-named for its reference to music (mu-) and Islamic/Sufi ties (-zikr). This is not your typical traditional Sufi music chants or rock/hip hop album. It is catchy, contemporary music with a variety of instrumentation including bass, kora, ngoni, keyboards, drums, sax, and other instruments. The music is pleasant to listen to and each track is noticeably different. A familiar voice to many, Youssou N'Dour, lends his voice on track six. Overall, Muzikr can be appropriately categorized as a new genre of contemporary West African Islamic pop music. Whatever you call it, Carlou D will move you, inspire you, and make you think. It is very good 'muzik'. The liner notes provide song summaries in English and French. ~ Matthew Forss