Rokia Traore, more than just an earnest Malian afropop singer for public radio and WOMAD fans???

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What do you think of Rokia? She's on tour in North America now, will be heading back to tour france next?

― steve-k, Monday, 18 October 2004 17:14 (twenty-one years ago)

I'm wowed by her voice and I understand that on her current tour, she and her band are more rhythmic and less folky than she sometimes is on cd.

― steve-k, Monday, 18 October 2004 17:15 (twenty-one years ago)

Never seen her live. But I rather like her last year's Bowmboi CD.

― t\'\'t (t\'\'t), Monday, 18 October 2004 17:59 (twenty-one years ago)

I'm going to see her tonight at the Birchmere, in Virginia near Washington D.C.

― steve-k, Monday, 18 October 2004 20:05 (twenty-one years ago)

i'm currently digging bowmboi and when i saw her here in boston a few nights ago, she opened up folkie and closed down rhythmic. it was a great show. rokia's definitely more than just your average afropop singer.

― arjun (arjun), Monday, 18 October 2004 21:50 (twenty-one years ago)

LOVE her. A cut above. Please report back on the show, Steve; my jealousy needs feeding.

― mike t-diva (mike t-diva), Monday, 18 October 2004 22:35 (twenty-one years ago)

Yeah, she sings "A Cycle," on Daara J's new BOOMERANG. They're a Senegalses hip hop group, but she fits right in. Lots of different music fits together on that album.

― Don, Tuesday, 19 October 2004 00:09 (twenty-one years ago)

Senegalese, that is. See www.rockpaperscissors.biz/go/daaraj

― don, Tuesday, 19 October 2004 00:12 (twenty-one years ago)

Like the Boston show Arjun mentioned several posts up, last night's DC area show started with barefoot Rokia strumming an acoustic guitar aided by a backing female singer, and finished 1 1/2 hours later with Rokia just dancing and singing while her band(2 ngoni lute players, a calabash percussionist, another percussionist, a xylophone-like balafon, and a guy alternating between bass and guitar)got polyrhythmic. Her voice isn't quite as strong as Oumou Sangare, but it's still impressive. Live the Bowmboi songs felt a bit different than on cd. Some were more revved up, while other slower ones had an almost Super Rail goes blues psychedelic trance feel. Sadly for Rokia, there were only around 70 or so people in a room that hlds 400. The show was too expensive($30 at the door--about the same as the Salif Keita show last month that drew a much larger show in downtown DC) and at a club better known for bluegrass and alt-country. Plus they didn't really advertise towards the D.C. area's sizable Malian/African community.

― steve-k, Tuesday, 19 October 2004 12:39 (twenty-one years ago)

i've seen rokia a few times (first time in 98 or 99 i think) and while i think she is an interesting and lovely person, I have not been wowed by her live shows. i find them a lil too restrained and just lacking in presence. that said i do feel i am in the minority on this as most ppl i know rave abt her live show. only given bowmboi a couple of listens but was more impressed with it than her previous albums.

i haven't heard her thing with daara j yet but am really interested.

― H (Heruy), Tuesday, 19 October 2004 12:54 (twenty-one years ago)

Her live show has gotten more lively than it used to be.

― steve-k, Tuesday, 19 October 2004 12:58 (twenty-one years ago)

oh, i know that but last i saw her abt two years ago it was after ppl had assured me her show had gotten livelier than in previous years but it still left me unmoved. others thot it was great tho so mebbe i just lack a soul.

― H (Heruy), Tuesday, 19 October 2004 13:01 (twenty-one years ago)

While I like her plenty and year by year she's gotten more interesting, she's still not in the same league as Oumou Sangare or Salif Keita. I understand your qualms.

― steve-k, Tuesday, 19 October 2004 13:08 (twenty-one years ago)

Well, I think she's going for an altogether different approach from Oumou Sangare. Oumou is more diva-expressive, whereas Rokia is more gentle & restrained.

Rokia sang with Daara J at this year's BBC World Music Awards (screened on BBC4) - the combination worked much better than I would have expected, and lifted Daara J's whole performance.

― mike t-diva (mike t-diva), Tuesday, 19 October 2004 13:37 (twenty-one years ago)

nine years pass...

I think her latest Beautiful Africa sounds looser and more energetic, while still ocassionally offering more restrained Afro-folky elements.

― curmudgeon, Thursday, 14 November 2013 16:19 (twelve years ago)

Yeah I <3 the new one, its gorgeous

― you can get fuckstab anywhere in london (wins), Thursday, 14 November 2013 16:32 (twelve years ago)

Whether something is for "public radio fans" seems to worry some Americans quite a bit I've noticed, usually in relation to something I love

― you can get fuckstab anywhere in london (wins), Thursday, 14 November 2013 16:34 (twelve years ago)

Uh oh.

― curmudgeon, Thursday, 14 November 2013 16:49 (twelve years ago)

Mélancolie is one of my songs of the year.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vshD7FLuVpI

― famous for hits! (seandalai), Thursday, 14 November 2013 16:51 (twelve years ago)

I've seen her live and she was awesome. Loved the last two records, but was bummed when they postponed this one for apparently no good reason. Glad it's finally out (I guess?).

― Josh in Chicago, Thursday, 14 November 2013 17:03 (twelve years ago)

"uh oh"

What? Have I made a dodgy assumption re nationality? I've no idea who "steve k" was, it's just something I've observed & it seems like a US thing

― you can get fuckstab anywhere in london (wins), Thursday, 14 November 2013 17:14 (twelve years ago)

Just kidding around. You were correct in your assumption and observation. Maybe some Yanks worry about this too much. Is there a Brit equivalent to this stereotype?

― curmudgeon, Thursday, 14 November 2013 17:27 (twelve years ago)

It's cool that Pitchfork gave this a great review when it came out, but comparing "Lalla" to Radiohead is some serious hand-holding.

― jmm, Monday, 25 November 2013 17:40 (twelve years ago)

Pitchfork runs so few reviews of African music, that I guess their editors or writer Tangari (who does most of their token African reviews) thought it was necessary. Or maybe because PJ Harvey pal John Parish produced Rokia's latest, they just figured that surely that song had a, Radiohead-like feel.

― curmudgeon, Monday, 25 November 2013 20:11 (twelve years ago)

Iirc correctly, her "Bowmboï" album earned (inexplicable) comparisons to Bjork.

― Josh in Chicago, Monday, 25 November 2013 20:33 (twelve years ago)

two years pass...

New album is uneven...but it has its good moments

― curmudgeon, Saturday, 19 March 2016 01:06 (nine years ago)

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