Reviews - 01 July 2008
African Dreamland - Various artists
Putumayo (Kids) Putt- 277-2
Review by Evelyn Holtzhausen
I am not sure why this enchanting, collection is targeted to children (or in American – 'kids') because it provides discerning listeners with a wonderful collection of mellow tracks to soothe the soul and please the ear.
Many of Africa’s top musicians and groups feature, from South Africa’s Ladysmith Black Mambazo — compulsory it seems, these days in any compilation of African music— to Tete Alhinho from the Cape Verde Islands.
The joy of the Putumayo collections, I have found over the years, is that they consistently populate their various compilations with music that showcases musicians who are talented at their craft as opposed to some who merely fill the tracks with arbitrary music.
A highlight of this gentle collection is track 5 – Agalilala – by Samite a Ugandan and possibly the continent's most acclaimed flautist. At less than 2 minutes the track is far too short, but makes up for its brevity with its sheer beauty. Ironically it’s not Samite's flute we hear here but his voice. I could happily rave on about this CD but I’ll save you the time reading to give to listening and enjoying. Thank you Putumayo.
Performance: 4.5
Recording: 4.5
This review appeared in Audio Video SA in July 2008.
BACK TO TOP
