Music: Unwinding To Soulful Sounds…
“As long as the songs are strong, I think you can express yourself in any style and have it be soulful and have it be your own voice. ” Ben Harper
Music: Unwinding To Soulful Sounds...
Super Mama Djombo (Guinéa-Bissau) – Julia
I love World Music and, when I’m relaxing at home on the weekends, I like to sample a few from around the globe. What I find fascinating about the genre is that the music is not only varied, it exposes us to a wide and impressive range of soulful sounds and instruments. As often as is feasible, I’d love to share some of the sounds that cross my path; I’ll call it Soulful Saturdays. Today, I’ll share a few songs from the African continent (Guinea-Bissau, Mali, DRC/Kenya, Uganda) and Brazil. My blog friend xandimusic at World Music – the Music Journey shares great music from around around the world… worth a blog visit and a listen. Two songs, Julia (above) and Mpita Njia (below), were from xandimusic’s selections. Julia by Super Mama Djombo, a rock group from Guinea-Bissau, is a haunting song; a mournful plea for help after the death of a first love and a separation from a second.
“Music fills the infinite between two souls” Rabindranath Tagore
Music: Unwinding To Soulful Sounds... Amadou & Mariam
Amadou & Mariam – Wily Kataso (feat. Tunde & Kyp of TV on the Radio) From new album Folila
I saw Amadou and Mariam perform in Central Park many years ago and was blown away by their sound. What makes this couple even more impressive is that they have captured the hearts of music lovers around the world with their unique and beautiful sounds. They are both blind and met in a special braille school in Mali. They travel frequently, creating and performing great music. They recently produced a new album – Folila – which includes several collaborations with Western artists. This song is from that album.
“Music is the vernacular of the human soul” Geoffrey Latham
Music: Unwinding To Soulful Sounds... Cassia Eller
Cassia Eller was known for her great soulful sounds; a fusion of rock music combined with Brazilian pop music (MPB). She started performing in her teens and developed a following both for her music and her stand for sexual freedom; particularly around matters of sexual orientation. She was one of Brazil’s prominent lesbian artists, and people some times referred to her as the “South American Melissa Etheridge.” Sadly, Cassia passed away at age 39 from a heart attack. Her music remains popular today.
“I’m very soulful. I grew up singing in church. When I sing a song, I like to feel what I’m singing.” Fantasia Barrino
Music: Unwinding To Soulful Sounds... Alicios Thelugi
Alicios Thelugi ft. Juliana Kanyomozi – Mpita Njia [Official Video]
The song above – Mpita Njia – is performed by two young, well regarded African female artists. “Mpita njia” is a song about a woman trying to warn another woman about the man she is dating. Alicios wrote the song in Swahili. She is from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and is based in Kenya. Juliana is from Uganda and has won many awards for her music. She is also a popular actress and a mother of one.
Stay Inspired! What are your thoughts? Do you listen to World Music? Do you have any favorite artistes from the genre? What would you suggest we listen to? Do share! Thank you. 🙂
*Please bear with me as I continue to catch up on your blogs and commenting… Thank you all for your patience! 🙂
Positive Motivation Tip: Soulful sounds keep us moving our feet while using our minds. Enjoy.
PHOTO CREDITS/ATTRIBUTIONS: All Photos Soulful Journey, Amadou & Mariam, Cassia Eller, via Wikipedia. Alicios Thelugi via Museke.com
Until Next Time…
Ask. Believe. Receive. ©
Elizabeth Obih-Frank
Mirth and Motivation
Positive Kismet
Related articles
- Amadou and Mariam: ‘When you live in this world you have to make yourself useful’ (guardian.co.uk)
- Amadou & Mariam: Aim To Expand Audience With Folila (nytimes.com)
- Juliana collaborates with Congolese Alicios (londoncranes.com)
- Amadou & Mariam: New Album (jambase.com)
- Osheaga 2012 Spotlight Series: Amadou and Mariam (musicforyourhealth.wordpress.com)
- Collaborations energize Mali duo Amadou and Mariam (ctv.ca)
- Amadou & Mariam forge a new musical tradition (canada.com)
- Amadou and Mariam, :BRAÏ Jewellery Brand Ambassadors (boticca.com)
I’ll come back and get these videos after dinner, Elizabeth. I love music from many plaaces too. Seal is currently here judging The Voice, by the way.
Oh that is interesting… I didn’t know he was on the show. 🙂 TY!
The Australian The Voice, just to be clear in case I wasn’t!
Yeah, I get it… 🙂
I like the music of Ben Harper (my daughter too – our favorite: the waltz: waiting on an ANGEL…)
“As long as the songs are strong,
I think you can express yourself in any style
and have it be soulful and
have it be your own voice. ”
Ben Harper
A world and life without music would be a sad one indeed. Your post has introduced me to unknown artists, thank you.
Music always inspires me. It speaks to the soul in ways words cannot.
Very soulful selections for a lazy Sunday morning. Thanks for introducing me to these new artists. I’m listening now as I write. Thanks, Elizabeth!
I love the statue in the first photo, and the whole area that surrounds it. Beautiful. Really, all of your photos are, but that first shot really caught my eye … must be the horse. LOL. 🙂
I love world music. Most of what I listen to comes on compilation cd’s so I don’t always know who is singing. Thanks for sharing! Miriam
The song Julia is truly captivating and I’m listening to it over and over again. Thank you for the selections as they are all different and entertaining. I will visit xandimusic and check out the range there too.
B
The selections you have chosen are amazing! I love Brazilian music, all the way from Antonio Carlos Jobim to Bebel Gilberto and now Cassia Eller! Alicios and Juliana are an amazing team-up. Such
beautiful voices. And Ben Harper, well, he’s special!
Makes my choices in poetic songs seem so limited! See Likeitiz.wordpress.com/2012/02/20/sing-poetic/
Thanks for helping me expand my music awareness!
Elizabeth you have hit 5the mark wi5h these soulful sounds. Thanks for sharing.
TY Walter! Always good to hear from you and hope all is well too! 🙂
I do love World Music. When we still actually had music stores I’d spend as much time as I could in the World Music section. It was a strange and wonderful new land…I didn’t know many artists, but just loved what I discovered. I like Caetano Veloso, Cesaria Evora–hope I spelled their names right and a whole host of Brazilian artists. I am always happy to be introduced to other artists! Debra
Same here… I used to hang out in that section back in the day and I miss having that same kind of access. I love the variety of the genre and how wonderfully different the artistes are. TY! 🙂
I like to think that I have a broad and diverse musical taste, but your post today lets me know that I don’t, in fact, have as much breadth as I thought. Curse you, Elizabeth, you’re going to cost me a fortune at iTunes this month! *grins*
Thanks for broadening my musical horizons!
Thanks I have an Amadou and Mariam album hiding somewhere!
I love music as well…it is another love of mine, other than books. And its wondeful to have on hand a variety of music to match one’s mood =)
I also really love World Music–and have used it to prelude me for my evening meditational period. Amadou and Miriam I have heard. YES, music is very much a language of the soul-it can connect us all around the world, if we only allow it to truly enter our beings!