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Sidiki Conde: Sidiki
ByThe recording intrinsically carries the voice of Conde's experiences and his homeland, performed by a group of exquisite musicians who emphatically answer the call of dance and song. Pulsating drums of the doun doun and djembe, resonating strings of the guitar and kora, melodies of the flute and balafon and other instruments, together creating an atmosphere of celebration.
If the recording's music is the heartbeat, then the songs (lyrics sung in Guinean and translated to English in the liners) are its life-blood. "N'na" dedicated to Conde's mother who took care of him when he first became disabled, "Dalina," a traditional song to remind people to never forget their homeland, or "Ibrahimi Conde," a warm dedication to Conde's son (1994-2002) sung in Arabic and Malinke languages.
Stand out selections include "Damayele" and "Aboubacar Sidiki" where the player's instruments hypnotically intertwine with the call/response of the singers, or "Kourri"'s serenity with its easy guitar lines, threading Conde's heartfelt singing. This is music with global appeal, similar to the popular sounds of sister West African, Angelique Kidjo. There's much to enjoy here; a release that embodies Conde's spiritone that is alive, dancing and singing.
Track Listing
N'na; Dalina; Agfrisses; Ibrahimi Conde; Kemoko Sano; Damayele (Big Mouth); Aboubacar Sidiki; Minimiza; Kourri; Dounougna; Djougou-magni.
Personnel
Sidiki Conde: vocals, doun doun drums; Moussa Sissoko: guitar; Yacouba Sissoko: kora; Rick DePofi: drums (1, 8), keyboards, flute, percussion, Horns, vocals; Pablo Sekou Dembele: djembe; Bouba Sakou: guitar (9); Robin Macatangy: guitar (1); Oz Noy: guitar (3); Fatu Keita: vocals (4); Gary Haase: (1, 3, 7, 8, 11); Conrad Korsch: electric bass, acoustic bass (5, 10); Shawn Phelton: drums (2, 3, 5, 7, 10); Danny Louis: trumpet, organ (5, 8); Roger Squitero: percussion (10, 11). Background vocals: Fatou Camara, Abdoulaye Diabate, Iba Bangoura, Yoyo Camara, Suzzy Roche, Terre Roche, Machan Taylor, Danny Louis. The Dalina Children (2): Alex Cellum, James Cellum, Elisa Hernandez, Emily Justich, Kerry Justich, Kevin Justich, Daniel Monroe, Masha Puchkoff, Oona Mae Roche, Kighla Carlson, Ean Carlson.
Album information
Title: Sidiki | Year Released: 2008 | Record Label: Innova Recordings
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