| | | Ratings (6) |
Give your Rating |
| 3.5 great | cjbizzlebizzle | March 12th 16 |
My personal quest to find albums randomly has once again led me to something great that I would never come across otherwise. Rooted somewhere between African pop, folk and rock The Traveller by Baaba Maal combines traditional sounds with modern production techniques to create something special. Despite Maal's natural ability to create bright, beautiful vocal melodies he chooses at times to juxtapose hyper-autotuned hooks with African rhythms and folk guitar tracks; it is obvious he is a careful skilled songwriter. Juxtaposition becomes a theme with the tracks and it allows the record to progress naturally. The booming banger Fulani Rock opens it up with intense energy only to bring things down for a few tracks between Gilli Men and Lampenda which cover a very wide range of instruments and vocal stylings. Traveller ramps it up once again and is one of the best tracks so far this year. Opening with a whisper and quiet guitar it builds into passages that I could imagine playing during the dawn of life on Earth, splendid. Jam Jam is next and is also one of the better songs on the album. How to end? How about a duo War and Peace with spoken word first above insane percussion and then joined by hymns above flutes and guitar. The blend of African traditions with pop, rock, funk and folk is fascinating at times and The Traveller stays fresh throughout thanks to Baaba Maal's wide range of vocal stylings and some excellent instrumentation.
Bump |
| 4.0 excellent | fog CONTRIBUTOR | May 21st 21 |
| 4.0 excellent | Uzumaki | June 30th 20 |
| |
Give Your Opinion on The Traveller
|
