Oumou Sangare's Seya is out now, and, says NPR's Fresh Air, "it's a landmark. It shows she's not just the finest female singer in Mali, but the African Queen of soul ... [E]very moment of Seya reflects the joyful seriousness—and serious joy—of Oumou Sangare's personality ... Seya presents masterful music and a superb summation of her achievements." NPR also names the album track "Iyo Djeli" the Song of the Day, calling the album "a collection of intricately layered music, buoyant grooves and sage wisdom from one of the most alluring and agile voices in African music today." Time Out New York gives the album four stars, saying, "[W]hat really shines is the sheer vitality that runs through Sangare’s music."
Seya ("Joy"), Oumou Sangare's recent World Circuit / Nonesuch release, is the Malian singer/songwriter's first album in six years, and, says NPR's Fresh Air, not only does it further solidify her role as "a major national celebrity" at home, but "it's a landmark. It shows she's not just the finest female singer in Mali, but the African Queen of soul."
Music critic Milo Miles sees Sangare's latest effort as part of a larger movement among African musicians, including her compatriots, Amadou & Mariam, "the culmination of a musical evolution," representing "a fully mature, new type of African popular music." As much as her new album may reflect that trend, though, it is also uniquely her own. "[E]very moment of Seya reflects the joyful seriousness—and serious joy—of Oumou Sangare's personality," says Miles. "That's why she's the Queen."
Never one to shy away from addressing social concerns through her songs, Sangare continues to infuse them with calls to action for her fellow Malians, making the "lyrics well worth reading," according to Miles. Yet, for all the familiar subject matter, "Sangare sounds a bit more polished, a bit more precise and at ease, than ever before ... Seya presents masterful music and a superb summation of her achievements."
To listen to the complete review, visit npr.org.
Fresh Air is not alone among NPR programs with praise for Sangare and Seya today: the album track "Iyo Djeli" is now NPR's Song of the Day. Music writer Banning Eyre calls the album "a collection of intricately layered music, buoyant grooves and sage wisdom from one of the most alluring and agile voices in African music today." Eyre goes on to praise the ecumenical scope of Seya's music and the guest musicians who helped her create it, a group he sums up as "nothing short of awesome."
But, as Eyre says, "the proof is in the music," describing that of "Iyo Djeli," the Song of the Day, as "a muscular swirl of brass and strings, with the African ensemble holding the center. The result is a masterpiece of arranging and execution."
Read more and listen to "Iyo Djeli" at npr.org.
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Time Out New York gives the album four stars, exclaiming: "Oumou Sangare is a hell of a woman." Writer Sophie Harris explains:
Listening to Sangare’s fifth album, Seya, it’s easy to understand why she’s become so big. There’s her voice, for one thing: strong and lithe, but also cool like silk. And similar to her fellow Malian artists Amadou and Mariam and Rokia Traoré, Sangare combines a deep sense of rootedness with breezy experimentalism and a yen for pop.
Even with that to recommend it, Harris asserts, "what really shines is the sheer vitality that runs through Sangare’s music."
Read the complete review at newyork.timeout.com.
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Oumou's US tour begins next Thursday, July 2, with a free concert at the Jay Pritzker Pavillion in Chicago's Millennium Park. For more tour information, visit nonesuch.com/on-tour.
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