Beautiful Africa

マリの気高き至宝、ロキア・トラオレのアルバム、その名も『BEAUTIFUL AFRICA』、ノンサッチから登場! シンガー・ソングライターであり、マリでは珍しいマルチ・イントゥルメンタリストの女性アーティストである彼女は、プロデューサーにジョン・パリッシュ(PJ Harvey、Tracy Chapman、The Eels)を迎え、2008年の前作『TCHAMANTCHE』から約3年ぶりとなるアルバムを英国ブリストルにあるTOY BOX STUDIOでレコーディング。ロキアのヴォーカルとギターが前面に出ているロッキッシュな今作だが、ンゴニ(アフリカのリュートとの言われる弦楽器)といった伝統的な楽器も取り入れ、アフリカらしさは健在。アコースティック調の｢Damou｣、そしてブルージーな｢Donguili｣、そしてロック調の｢Donke｣まで、『BEAUTIFUL AFRICA』にはマリ文化が持つ様々な面、そして彼女自身の様々な姿が表現されている。そんな彼女のサウンドを支えるのは、以下のミュージシャンたち: John Parish(guitar)、Stefano Pilia(guitar)、Nicolai Munch-Hansen(bass)、Sebastian Rochford(Polar Bear)(percussion)、Jason Singh(human beatbox)、Fatim Kouyate & Bintou Soumounou(n'goni/backing vo)他。

On Beautiful Africa, Malian songwriter and guitar slinger Rokia Traore unleashes the fiery rocker she's been nurturing since her teens. On four previous offerings she established herself as a wildly inventive and diverse songwriter, most notably on 2008's Tchamantche. She recorded this set with producer John Parish in the U.K. He keeps her guitar and the n'goni right up front in his mix, just underneath her distinctive, supple voice. Her employment of a female backing chorus acts as both a call-and-response vehicle and as rhythmic and harmonic counterpart. Drummer Sebastian Rochford add weight, punch, and dimension as well. These nine songs are sung in French, Bambara, and occasionally English -- sometimes in the same tune. The music walks the line between the celebratory, the tender, the angry, and the sorrowful. Despite its rock leanings, Malian folk traditions are ever present in its DNA -- check "Kouma," where the vocals and droning desert blues accompanied by sparse percussion create the theme. Halfway through, Traore's guitar screams through, distorted, frantic, and in the red. "Sikey"'s layered rock guitars, bassline, and drums create a staggered, syncopated groove, while Traore and her singers' voices provide an alternate rhythm and dialogue. The taut breaks by Rochford and the haunting n'goni add ballast to her forceful, stinging six-string. Halfway through, a bridge offers a different melody, almost a different tune; it shifts the tempo and harmonic focus before returning to the main theme. The title track is damn funky. Traore uses a wah-wah pedal and plays straight at Rochford's snare and hi-hat. He lays out numerous breaks -- yet remains firmly in the pocket. When she sings "Intense as ever," there's a snarl in her words as she addresses the chaotic, troubling situation in her once peaceful homeland. "Ka Moun Ke," which follows, is a soulful African pop tune; it's grainy and infectious with killer guitar reverb and a hypnotic rhythm track. Parish keeps things raw and lively; the appearance of these tunes being played by a live band is ever present. For those who long for tradition, the ballads such as "N'Teri" and "Sarama" offer melodies whose roots are centuries old. "Samara" is among the most searing ballads in Traore's songbook. While Beautiful Africa is her most "commercial" recording -- as in, friendly to Western audiences -- it nonetheless follows directly the explorations her music has articulated from the beginning. It feels like a natural step, consequently expanding the margins of Malian roots music and rock and pop simultaneously. ~ Thom Jurek

PJ・ハーヴェイ仕事で有名なジョン・パリッシュが手掛けた、マリの人気シンガーによる新作です。必要最低限のパーカッションに地を這う低音ベース、リフ優先のエレキ、そしてンゴニ(西アフリカの弦楽器)もアクセントとして時々加わるスカスカな演奏が超クール。その上で少しハスキー&憂いを帯びた歌声が、美しく物悲しいメロディーを紡ぐ。〈アフリカmeetsブリストル〉ってなサウンドの何て刺激的なこと!!
bounce (C)ダイサク・ジョビン