Kakande:
"Dununya"
(JMB 0008)

Kakande's premier release Dununya has recieved wide critical acclaim, including a few listings on the best African album of 2008 (see here and here).

One of the most respected journalists of African Music, Banning Eyre of AfroPop, wrtoe an extensive review of the album. Here is an excerpt:

Kakande takes a unique approach to Mande music--acoustic, kinetic, textured and grooving. Dioubate's virtuosic balafon riffing is rightly front and center, backed harmonically by a sweet blend of electric guitar (Mamady Kouyate), cello (Raul Rothblatt), flute (Sylvain Leroux) and sax (Avram Fefer). These players step out occasionally, but mostly hang with the crisp rhythm section, creating textures that work as well in a dark, roiling jam like "Paya Paya," as on a slow, mellifluous praise song like "Mariama Traoré."

What comes through most is the freshness and esprit de corps of this band. The cross-cultural collaboration sets a new bar… and speaks well for the ever rising sophistication and quality of U.S. based Afropop projects.

(For more from AfroPop, click here)

Click for the liner notes about Nina Kaba and Souaresi.