By j. poet | Published May 2022
Rokia Koné was already a star in her home country of Mali when producer Liam Farrell tapped her to participate in the sessions for Republique Amazone, the first record of the vocal supergroup Les Amazones d’Afrique. She also appeared on their second album, Amazones Power, winning raves for her lead vocals on the track “Red.”
For her solo debut, her manager connected her with Jacknife Lee, producer for U2, The Killers and Taylor Swift. They hit it off and began working on the songs that became Bamanan. Due her tours with Les Amazons, solo dates in Mali, and then the pandemic, it took several years for the album to come together. It was recorded and assembled remotely, using studios in Los Angeles, Bamako (Mali) and Paris. The result is a fusion of digital studio gloss and traditional singing.
“Bi Ye Tulonba Ye” opens the set, with sustained synthesizer chords providing a backdrop for Koné’s impressive a capella improvisations. Midway through, her band joins in to add subtle multilayered percussion fills. Koné sings “N’yanyan,” a meditation on mortality, backed only by sparse piano chords. Her meandering, melismatic phrasing slowly giving way to long wordless sighs evoking a sense of hope and resignation. Lee’s synthesizer textures bounce along to give “Mayougouba” the feel of a dance club hit. Koné’s vocal encourages women to love and support each other, as her phrasing spins around, before and behind the beat of a playful bass line.
Bamanan: Bi Ye Tulonba Ye; Shezita (Take A Seat); Kurunba; N’yanyan; Anw Tile (It’s Our Time); Soyi N’galanba; Bambougou N’tji; Dunden; Mayougouba; Mansa Soyari. (38:05)
Personnel: Rokia Koné, vocals; Jacknife Lee, guitars, keyboards, drums and programming, electric piano; Sountoucoumba “Salif” Koné, lead guitar; Llorenç Barceló, Minimoog bass; Amadou Dembélé, djembe; Mamadou Diabaté, doundoun; Abdou Diallo, doundoun superposé; Amadou Sissoko, tama; Harouna Samaké, kamele ngoni; Maïmouna Ouedrago, Fatoumata Coulibaly, Pamela Badjogo (10), Mariam Koné (10), backing vocals.
Ordering Info: realworldrecords.com
