Track Listing
Click tracks with speaker icon to listen| 1 | Kayini Wura | 5:58 |
| 2 | Sigi Kuruni | 6:07 |
| 3 | Mani Djindala | 6:14 |
| 4 | Saa Magni | 7:35 |
| 5 | Dugu Kamelemba | 6:08 |
| 6 | Bi Furu | 5:54 |
| 7 | Nawo Nawo | 5:18 |
| 8 | Ko Sira | 7:07 |
News & Reviews
- Monday, August 1, 2011
Oumou Sangare, "Regal, Righteous and Funky" (NY Times), Brings North American Tour to a Close
Malian singer Oumou Sangare concluded her North American tour this weekend with shows in Brooklyn and Maine. "Regal, righteous and funky," exclaims New York Times music critic Jon Pareles, "the Malian singer and songwriter Oumou Sangare commanded the stage of Celebrate Brooklyn! on Friday night at the Prospect Park Bandshell." Through her music and lyrics, this longtime champion of women's rights took on "the traditional West African singer’s role as community conscience while delivering her messages with a modern kick."
- Friday, July 22, 2011
Oumou Sangare Launches North American Tour "At the Summit of Her Art" (Boston Globe)
Oumou Sangare launches a rare North American tour this weekend with a free set at the Festival International Nuits d'Afrique in Montreal tonight before heading to the States and the Caramoor International Music Festival in Katonah, New York. The tour includes additional stops in Boston, Manhattan, Maine, and Brooklyn. The Boston Globe says: "A visit from this charismatic queen of Malian music and fierce combatant for women’s rights is always an occasion, not least because, as seen on her most recent album, Seya, she’s at the summit of her art."
About this Album
In the fall of 2000, World Circuit / Nonesuch re-released Oumou Sangare’s 1993 recording Ko Sira, which had not been available domestically in recent years.
Sangare has often been described as representing the changing face of young Africa. Her “remarkably emotive voice..." (New York Times) rings out again on Ko Sira, Sangare’s second recorded album following her 1989 debut Moussolou. The release joins the 1996 release Worotan, revealing a body of work that represents something of a revolution in its use of traditional and modern musical styles alongside contemporary lyrics, while always maintaining a sense of African tradition. Sangare’s Ko Sira was voted European World Music album of the Year in 1993.
Originating from Wassoulou, an area in Southern Mali, Sangare’s music draws from an ancient tradition of hunting rituals mixed with songs about devotion, praise, and harvest, yet her lyrics invoke the challenges faced in Africa today, and deal often with the issues of women’s modernity in Africa. Combining traditional Wassoulou instruments with electric bass and guitar, she melds sounds of old and new.
FORMAT AVAILABILITY
This album is available from Nonesuch in the United States and Canada only.
