Product Description
Amazon.co.uk Review
It can be a bit like when you've got your mum staying over and you pop out to get some milk; by the time you've returned, a particularly houseproud tornado has gone through your house, violently cleaning everything in its path. This, in essence, is what happened to Baaba Maal's sound in the late 1990s. Once upon a time, you were able to sense the humid bustle of Senegal in Maal's work. Compare, say, the visceral, organic Afrofunk of 1994's Firin' In Fouta to 1998's Nomad Soul and the problem becomes clear: the latter sounds a bit rootless. Though it's tempting to blame the producers (there are several, including Brian Eno and Howie B), Nomad Soul also suffers from Maal's tendency to over-elaborate a lumpen groove at the expense of melody--"Douwayra" and "Mbolo" suffer especially as a result. Nits duly picked, it should be emphasised that Maal can rarely go too far wrong as long as there's plenty of room for his awesome pipes and the guitar of perennial sidekick Mansour Seck to be heard. It's on more meditative excursions such as the blissful "Cherie" and "Koni" that Nomad Soul truly finds its voice. --Peter Paphides
Description
Senegalese singer Baaba Maal's latest album is the result of a merging of cultures and was a collective effort on the part of several well-known British producers (including BrianEno) as well as a range of musical collaborators. NOMAD SOUL is an explosion of joyous sound, with a tendency to emphasise the songs' melodies and vocal harmonies rather than their rhythms and beats, which Maal keeps understated compared to many African musical traditions. A mix of Senegalese and English vocals adds to the sense of multi-cultural exploration; "Souka Nayo (I Will Follow You)", has strong Celtic influences, which are more subtle on "Cherie", and the lovely, acoustic "Koni". Maal's breath-taking vocals take centre stageon one song after another, yet they seem to be energised and held aloft by the music and voices of his collaborators.