Bowmboï

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
Malian singer Rokia Traore attracted a lot of attention with her 1998 debut Mouneissa and the even better Wanita in 2000. Now the singer-songwriter returns with Bowmboi, an album filled with creative aspiration but still set within the framework of traditional Malian instrumentation. As with the past efforts, the singer is again accompanied by acoustic guitar, n'goni (African lute), kora harp and balafon (a buzzing marimba). But here the stripped-down songs are darker and more mature, creating an overall vibe that sensuously haunting, particularly when she adds polyphonic multi-track call-and-response vocals. Amidst these earthy arrangements, the Kronos Quartet joins in for "Manian" and "Bowmboi." Having a western and modern classical feel, the music is a departure that nonetheless works because Traore matches their rhythms while staying within her creative vision. Indeed, her singing in her native Bamanan is the cornerstone to the album, soaring high and erupting into cadenzas or riding long wavering lines that shimmer with passion. –-Tad Hendrickson

Product Description
Malian singer-songwriter Rokia Traore is already a fast-rising star in Europe, where she has released two albums, Mouneissa and Wanita, to both critcal and popular acclaim. With her NOnesuch debut, Bowmboi, Traore is poised to captivate an entirely new audience in the U.S.; Time calls the album "mesmerizing, casting its spell with virtuoso vocals, rich textures, and startling diversity."

Bowmboï,Rokia Traoré,Nonesuch,African,African Folk,Afro-Pop,Ethnic Fusion,Int'l & World Music,Pop,Worldbeat
Bowmboï
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • Beautiful, Traditional, and Yet Of This Moment; Highly Recommended
  • Exquisite
  • what a voice!
  • Malian Magic.
  • Incredible!
Bowmboï
Rokia Traoré
Manufacturer: Nonesuch
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

GeneralGeneral | Africa | International | Styles | Music
MaliMali | Africa | International | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | International | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | New Age | Styles | Music
Similar Items:
  1. Wanita
  2. Amassakoul
  3. Oumou
  4. Moffou
  5. New Ancient Strings

ASIN: B0002M5T9I
Release Date: 2004-08-31

Tracks:

  1. M'Bifo
  2. Sara
  3. Kote Don
  4. Mariama
  5. Manian
  6. Deli
  7. Nienafing
  8. Kele Mandi
  9. Kanou
  10. Bowmboi

Amazon.com

Malian singer Rokia Traore attracted a lot of attention with her 1998 debut Mouneissa and the even better Wanita in 2000. Now the singer-songwriter returns with Bowmboi, an album filled with creative aspiration but still set within the framework of traditional Malian instrumentation. As with the past efforts, the singer is again accompanied by acoustic guitar, n'goni (African lute), kora harp and balafon (a buzzing marimba). But here the stripped-down songs are darker and more mature, creating an overall vibe that sensuously haunting, particularly when she adds polyphonic multi-track call-and-response vocals. Amidst these earthy arrangements, the Kronos Quartet joins in for "Manian" and "Bowmboi." Having a western and modern classical feel, the music is a departure that nonetheless works because Traore matches their rhythms while staying within her creative vision. Indeed, her singing in her native Bamanan is the cornerstone to the album, soaring high and erupting into cadenzas or riding long wavering lines that shimmer with passion. --Tad Hendrickson

Album Description

Malian singer-songwriter Rokia Traore is already a fast-rising star in Europe, where she has released two albums, Mouneissa and Wanita, to both critcal and popular acclaim. With her NOnesuch debut, Bowmboi, Traore is poised to captivate an entirely new audience in the U.S.; Time calls the album "mesmerizing, casting its spell with virtuoso vocals, rich textures, and startling diversity."

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Beautiful, Traditional, and Yet Of This Moment; Highly Recommended.......2007-04-13

I come to Traore's music as a fan of world music in general, and African music in particular.

I highly recommend Traore's Bowmboi to fans of world music. It is hypnotic and yet accessible, true to its traditional roots and yet it sounds individual, unique, and of-this-moment. It is professionally produced.

It is, too, simply beautiful. Traore has a rich, powerful and yet vulnerable voice that transcends the language barrier between her and this listener. I feel as if she is giving voice to concerns and life experiences I share.

It's not easy, given how few do it, to make music that is true to its roots and yet grabs you by the lapels and makes you want to listen to it *right now.* Traore's "Bowmboi" manages that. I love this CD.

Brava, Traore.

5 out of 5 stars Exquisite.......2007-03-15

As someone who grew up in Africa, I find this CD one of the best in a long time. I also have "Wanita" by the same artist, but I have not been able to stop listening to "Bowmboi" since I got it. The first track "M'Bifo" is beautiful, but the last track "Bowmboi" is exquisite. Now I have to admit that I ordered the current CD after reading about it on th Kronos Quartet website, but hey, African music does not belong in a museum. It has to evolve, like any genre of music.

5 out of 5 stars what a voice!.......2007-01-13

This woman has an amazing voice. I do not speak her language but do not need to. Her music speaks for itself. Deeply spiritual.

5 out of 5 stars Malian Magic........2006-05-21

A mix of haunting, sad music with some faster, upbeat compositions. Some will find the album a lot different in style from Rokia's earlier two, although it is just the emphasis that has changed, as there was some hauntingly beautiful tracks on the Mouneissa album with even more on Wanita (Souba and Wanita)- the trend culminating in Bowmboi. The mix of traditional musical instruments of the region together with the Kronos Quartet gives the listener a sense of yearning or longing. Not the 'normal' Malian music - but more a thought-provoking collection of compositions. I would strongly suggest that you take the time to read the words of the songs when you listen to the music, as it is the mix of the two that makes the real impact. Rokia is not afraid to question traditional standards, the words adding substance to the music. For a more 'traditional' sound, there is an extra track at the end of the album - a bonus! The tracks are sung in Bamanan. I've already put an order in for her next album - I hope I don't have to wait too long! Merci Rokia.

5 out of 5 stars Incredible!.......2005-12-05

Rokia Traore is, among many other things, perhaps the epitome of female beauty, both inside and out. She's gentle, funny, graceful and breathtakingly beautiful, and her music is the same. This record is sensual and mature, pulling on her musical roots but pushing on musical boundaries. Fans of African music will not be displeased, and fans of American songstresses (from Ella Fitzgerald to Norah Jones) will be enchanted. Rokia is a true heroine of modern world music, and, with this album, takes her place as a queen of the genre, breaking down a path that some of her male compatriots haven't even dared to tread.
Bowmboi
Average customer rating: Not rated
    Bowmboi

    ProductGroup: Music
    Binding: Audio CD

    MaliMali | Africa | International | Styles | Music
    ASIN: B00027Y4YE
    Release Date: 2004-06-01

    Album Description

    Australian release for one of the most important artists on the international music scene features ten tracks showcasing the singer/songwriter's now familiar trademarks, such as her innovative blending of instruments not usually heard together in African music. MRA. 2004.

    Rock Music:

    1. Brasileiro
    2. Brazilectro [Box set]
    3. Ce Soir, Apres Diner [Import]
    4. Chakra Chants 2
    5. Children's Nursery Rhyme Songs in Spanish/Canciones Infantiles Para Ninos en Espanol
    6. Didgeridoo Dreaming: Gold Collection [Import]
    7. DRUMSEX
    8. El Danzon de Moises
    9. Ethiopiques 20: Live in Addis [Live]
    10. Faryad

    Rock Music

    rock music

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    Art of the Sarangi

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    Best From Her Acoustic Recordings / Opera Arias

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