Orientation

Artist: Thione Seck
Label: Stern's Africa
Category: Music

Average customer rating:

Media: Audio CD
Number Of Discs: 1

UPC: 740042110021
EAN: 0740042110021
ASIN: B000B5IONY

Release Date: 2005-09-27

Related Categories:

General

| Africa | International | Styles | Music

General

| International | Styles | Music

General

| Latin Music | Styles | Music

General

| Pop | Styles | Music

Senegal & Gambia

| Africa | International | Styles | Music

Afro-Cuban

| Caribbean & Cuba | International | Styles | Music

Listmania:

World Music Fusions
Fall 2005: Music to Enjoy While You Wait in Line to Buy Gas

Tracks:

Siiw (Celebrity)
Yaye (Mother)
Blain Djigueul (The death of a close friend)
Woyatina (I am talking to you)
Mapenda (Tribute to a friend)
Manmignoul (Ode to the colour black)
Ballago
Assalo (Candle games)
Mouhahibou (Sacred text)
Djirim (Orphan)
Doom (child)
Mouhamadou Bamba

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Dimanche a Bamako
Sigil
Kinavana
Egypt
Lamp Fall

Customer Reviews:

Solid but light on the Bollywood sound.......2006-06-29

This CD is more Africa than India, although the music is a blend of both. I heard it first on NPR and the music I remember from that show seemed more aggreeable than what was on the CD when I finally got it. Technically impressive, beautifully executed, but less likely to make your dance in your seat than I expected.

From Dakar to Cairo to Madras.......2005-12-21

For anyone on the prowl for new sounds outside of lowest-common-denominator Western music, Senegal's Thione Seck has created a remarkable and astonishing album that represents a true and original breakthrough. In a fearsome show of composition and musicianship, Seck has blended musical techniques from West Africa, the Middle East, and India into a new sound that does not feel the least bit forced, contrived, or pre-assembled. And while many of the most popular West African musicians have been looking for ways to cross over into the American or European markets, Seck has avoided stereotyping or bastardizing the authenticity of these musical traditions. Seck has convened a troupe of musicians with an incredible array of exotic instruments from all three realms; while Seck's singing voice is an especially supple and adaptable vehicle, with his vocals moving seamlessly into brave new musical territories. Perhaps the best example of the blending of widespread sounds here is "Ballago" which somehow combines sunny African vocal harmonies with stirring Eastern strings. Other favorites include "Woyatina" which is propelled by three different armies of percussion that are both cooperating and dueling with each other, and the dark and ominous "Djirim" which manages to make a saxophone and clarinet sound as haunting as the transnational dirge beneath. This album is a revelation for those starved for uncompromising and revelatory music from where Western record execs fear to tread. [~doomsdayer520~]

True World Music.......2005-12-18

This astounding Cd is part of a Senegalese re-opening to the "East". I could write endlessly about "Orientation"'s cultural and political significance which is immense. However, what will make this music endure is its profound beauty. Thione Seck has a vocal instrument of great range and purity and the arrangements here showcase all his many strengths as an artist. It is like nothing you have ever heard before. Its melange of Senegalese, Arab, and Indian musics sounds totally natural and unforced. I prefer the title, mix and cover art of this project's Senegalese release but enough of the sublimity of the original production survive to make this the "must-have" of this year's world music offerings.

Extraordinary Work by Seck.......2005-11-25

I agree completely with the other reviewers here. This is an extraordinary work, diverse, suprising, beautiful and haunting. And yes, it outdoes the recent efforts of such other African stars as Youssou N'Dour (whose "Egypt" I found a bit disappointing), Baba Maal, and Salif Keita. The blend of North African, Senegalese, Arab and Indian styles is seamless and original. Then there are Seck's vocals. Man, what a gorgeous voice, what technique married to passion and spiritual yearning. As you probably guess by now, I highly recommend this CD.

Remarkable album.......2005-10-11

This is amazing -- the kind of album I have been waiting to hear for 10+ years. I started actively seeking world music when I came across Peter Gabriel's Passion and Real World Albums back in 1989. This album offers the kind of collaborative energy that the Passion Soundtrack did when I first heard it.

It is an unlikely mix of Bollywood, Cairo and Dakar that surprisingly works better than the attempts of his Senegalese contemporaries to bridge African and Western sounds.

Highly recommended.

Music CD:

Music CD

Music CD

Music CD

Spelstundarna ~ Andrea Hoag & Bruce Sagan

Show & Tell ~ Silvertide

Something to Believe ~ Poison

Canta Tom Jobim: Ao Vivo ~ Gal Costa

Punkryonics ~ Wasps

The Ventures Play The Batman Theme/TV Themes [2 On 1] ~ The Ventures

W Galerii Czasu ~ Lizard

Café del Mar, Vol. 1 ~ Various Artists

Soundtrack

24 Hours ~ Agent Sumo