Daby Toure & Skip McDonald - Call My Name on CD

Description

Review Call my name is not an album of roots discovery that one might expect to emerge from the union of American Blues and West African musical styles. Instead the musical offering is extraordinarily progressive, astute and refreshing. If anything this album demonstrates both genres moving full circle, complimenting each other with authoritative clarity. Touré's vocals add a rich depth and emotion that will no doubt resonate with the traditionalist world music audience whilst embracing influences that are distinctly western. Therein lies the importance of this album, the recognition that African musicians are not frozen in time. The evolution is prevalent on Lost Voices and Past Time; two of the strongest tracks on the album. The musical interplay of both artists is what truly stands out. Skip McDonald's harder, weightier style both vocally and instrumentally adds a resonance to the vibrant lighter style of Touré. Whilst neither has sacrificed anything stylistically the album feels as though it leans vocally towards Touré. The beautifully haunting Time Has Come leaves the listener wanting to hear more McDonald vocals. Although Touré's bi-lingual vocals give the album a distinctive West African accent it would be unfair to define it merely as world music. McDonald's solid strength adds gravity with his bluesy influence. Overall, Call My Name is a fantastic achievement, the relative nature of both musicians styles is so subtly delivered that at points the lines that separate them are dissolved. A new and interesting sound emerges from the collaborative efforts of Touré and McDonald that leaves the listener wanting more than the six tracks on the album. --Johnny Lais Find more music at the BBC This link will take you off Amazon in a new window Product Description Unique collaboration from the charismatic rising star of the new African pop sound, Daby Touré, and the legendary Little Axe guitarist and bluesman, Skip McDonald. As soon as they met, they knew each other. Daby Touré: a thirty-something musician raised in Mauritania, West Africa, currently a leading light on the Paris, France scene. Skip McDonald: an old school African American bluesman from Dayton, Ohio, long time resident of London, England. And having met and jammed one summer's night at Real World they kept on meeting and jamming at festivals around the world. Welcome, then, to Call My Name. An album that captures the magic of this unique creative union, that sees songs – some by Touré, others by McDonald – transformed via imaginative, instinctive collaboration. Here is African/French culture. African American/English culture. Traditional African rhythms. Influences from elsewhere. And, of course, the blues. As front man for 21st Century blues project Little Axe, McDonald has often likened himself to an archaeologist, ploughing the roots of American blues. Daby Touré might best be viewed as an explorer, forever seeking fresh sounds and innovative ways of applying them. Together – underpinned by drummer Keith LeBlanc – they have crafted songs that blend weighty guitar grooves with freewheeling musicality, that feature both resonant English language vocals and gloriously agile multilingual singing.