Music reviews. CD reviews. Critically hip!

When I saw that a woman was putting out an album of African music, I was psyched to be able to review it. Even these days, in Africa, women are not considered the primary carriers of their culture's stories which is often displayed through music. The Griot, an important member of the tribe whose role is to carry these stories, is traditionally male. When I received the album Na Afriki by Dobet Gnahore, I was pleasantly floored. She instantly conveys a warm, energetic presence. You can tell that she is a person full of life's passion just from listening to her sing. Her range is very impressive and she has complete control over her spinning and evoking voice.

Dobet Gnahore has been a musician since she was young. But she was trained with a complete approach: in dance, music, and theater as well. This training shows in her music, especially the theater. From passionately crying out on the songs Deuil and Khabon N'daw, to laughing on Mousso Tilou Gnahore portrays a wide range of emotions. Nowadays she lives in France but still obviously keeps her African traditions close. In this album, in fact, she sings in several different African languages. She has really made an impression in the world music scene. She was nominated for a BBC radio world music award in 2006 and has traveled worldwide to play her music at different festivals and concerts.

Several people commented on various websites that Gnahore is their favorite act at one festival or another despite the fact that they didn't even understand what she was singing about! I tend to agree. I learned that her lyrics are often socially conscious but past that I couldn't tell you what she is saying. But, as I mentioned, her emotions are so powerful that it is easy to relate. One of my favorite songs was Inyembezi Zam. This song just has a great build. It starts with one distant sounding voice saying the same few words over and over which continues throughout the song. But gradually the guitar comes in and Gnahore starts to sing. She really brings it home towards the end of the song, singing as passionately as ever. Then the song fades out and all you can hear is the repetition of the distant voice again.

I have to also note that the beat is another great aspect of this album. You will notice that, typical of African drumming, it is hard to find the downbeat, making it a more cyclical rhythm. In this album the drumming is virtuoso: following and providing the flow of the song while adding interesting ornamentations along the way. This album was incredibly fun to listen to. It's so infectious it just makes you want to dance. Dobet Gnahore is definitely putting out music that is making a name for herself worldwide and showing that women are more than capable of telling stories.