MOHAMMED ALIDU AND THE BIZUNG FAMILY, LAND OF FIRE (SELF-RELEASE)
[DUNKELBUNT]
A NEW DAY; LAYA PROJECT REMIXED
ADDIS ACOUSTIC PROJECT
AFRO ROOTS WORLD MUSIC FESTIVAL
AMADOU & MARIAM
ANTÓNIO ZAMBUJO
APHRODESIA
BALKANBEATS
BANCO DE GAIA
BOBAN I MARKO MARKOVIC ORKESTAR
BOBAN I MARKO MARKOVIC
BOY WITHOUT GOD
C.J. CHENIER
CARLOS GOGO GOMEZ
CHOBAN ELEKTRIK
CHOPTEETH
CHRISTIANE D
CHRISTINE VAINDIRLIS
CLARA PONTY
COPAL
CUCHATA
DAMJAN KRAJACIC
DANIEL CROS
DEBO & FENDIKA
DEL CASTILLO
DR JAYANTHI KUMARESH
EARTHRISE SOUNDSYSTEM
EGYPT NOIR
ELIN FURUBOTN
EMILY SMITH
FANFARE CIOCARLIA VS. BOBAN & MARKO MARKOVIC
FEUFOLLET
FIAF PRESENTS WORLD NOMADS MOROCCO: MUSIC
FOOTSTEPS IN AFRICA
GECKO TURNER
GENTICORUM
GEOFF BERNER
GIANMARIA TESTA
GODS ROBOTS
GUARCO
HUUN HUUR TU
INDIAN OCEAN
IRENE JACOB & FRANCIS JACOB
JANAKA SELEKTA
JANYA
JERRY LEAKE
JOAQUIN DIAZ
JOEL RUBIN
JORGE STRUNZ
JOSEF KOUMBAS
JOYFUL NOISE (I GRADE RECORDS)
JUST A BAND
KAMI THOMPSON
KARTICK & GOTAM
KHALED
KHING ZIN & SHWE SHWE KHAING
KITKA'S CAUCASIAN CONNECTIONS PROJECT PERFORMANCES AND WORKSHOPS
KMANG KMANG
KOTTARASHKY AND THE RAIN DOGS
LA CHERGA
LAC LA BELLE
LAYA PROJECT
LENI STERN
LES TRIABOLIQUES
LISTEN FOR LIFE
LOBI TRAORÉ
LO'JO
LOKESH
MAGNIFICO
MAHALA RAI BANDA
MIDNITE
MOHAMMED ALIDU AND THE BIZUNG FAMILY
MR. SOMETHING SOMETHING
MY NAME IS KHAN
NAWAL
NAZARENES
NO STRANGER HERE (EARTHSYNC)
OCCIDENTAL BROTHERS ON TOUR
OCCIDENTAL GYPSY
OREKA TX
ORQUESTRA CONTEMPORÂNEA DE OLINDA
PABLO SANCHEZ
PEDRO MORAES
RAYA BRASS BAND
SALSA CELTICA
SAMITE
SARA BANLEIGH
SARAH AROESTE
SELAELO SELOTA
SHYE BEN-TZUR
SIA TOLNO
SIBIRI SAMAKE
SISTER FA
SLIDE TO FREEDOM II
SONIA BREX
SOSALA
SWEET ELECTRA
SYSTEMA SOLAR
TAGA SIDIBE
TAJ WEEKES
TARANA
TARUN NAYAR
TE VAKA
TELEPATH
THE MOUNTAIN MUSIC PROJECT
THE NATIVE AMERICA NORTH SHOWCASE
THE SPY FROM CAIRO
TITO GONZALEZ
TOUSSAINT
VARIOUS ARTISTS
VARIOUS ARTISTS
WATCHA CLAN
WHEN HARRY TRIES TO MARRY SOUNDTRACK
WOMEXIMIZER
WOMEXIMIZER
ZDOB SI ZDUB
ZIETI
Album Review

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World Music Central, Album Review >>

Mohammed Alidu and the Bizung Family

Land of Fire (Black Eye Watching, 2010)

Talking drum is among my favorite drums, not just for its magical references, but its invigorating timbre symbolizes African music for me, especially the music of West Africa. The musical traditions passed down from one lineage to the next also holds significance and is a bit hard to fathom in the West where children forge a career in music even if their parents possessed no musical gifts or interests.

Many traditional African musicians who followed a musical lineage immigrate to the West where they hook up with eager western musicians who enjoy stepping into a different cultural realm.

I believe that embracing other cultures benefits us all, but musically this doesn’t always translate in my opinion, except in the realm of Afro-pop where rules can be broken and popular western music genres meld with African music traditions.

Sweeping western melodies and structure of verse-refrain-verse creates a familiarity to western listeners as you can hear on the titular track of talking drummer Mohammed Alidu’s CD, “Land of Fire ”. Kit drum plays alongside the talking drum (fantastic talking drum breaks in the song), bass and angular guitar frame the call & response vocals and the strong melody creates its own groove, even if the song’s hook sticks in my head for the remainder of the day. (Argh!)

In the past, I was a bigger fan of Afro-Pop, but these days, some of the production seems too busy to my ears. I enjoy multicultural music half as much as I did in the past and I would have loved to have heard some drumming only tracks on this recording or more songs like the opener, “Zomnilansala”. “Salabe” seems too melancholic for my taste, and a few of the tracks are littered with electric guitar solos which jar my senses. However, a good balance is struck on “Only Love,” a peaceful ballad or for some folks, chill out music, no doubt. “Take a Look” possesses a Congolese groove whereas, the follow-up “Zabli Zabli” brings in a funk element causing me wonder if I landed in Nigeria or Benin.

“Land of Fire ” holds up as an independent release, but might have to muscle its way onto community radio shows against some bigger label contenders. With so many musical influences and styles found on this recording, it lacks continuity or a signature sound. The talking drum pulls all the threads together in this multicultural Afro-pop experience. But I doubt this group will break through this year onto the international scene. For now, Mohammed Alidu and the Bizung Family might draw the appreciation of hardcore Afro-pop American fans and the support of its local community.

Patricia Herlevi hosts the healing music blog, The Whole Music Experience. She’s covered world music since 2003 and currently teaches music appreciation classes in western Washington. She’s working on a book, “Whole Music” which marries the healing power of music with musical cultures. She also writes fiction.

 10/14/10 >> go there

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