Baaba Maal Missing You (Mi Yeewnii) CD

Follow Up To 1998's Nomad Soul W/Mansour Seck,Kante Manfila+



This is an Enhanced CD which contains regular audio tracks and multimedia computer files.
Personnel includes: Baaba Mal (vocals, guitar); Ouzin Barry (guitar, bass); Chris Franck (guitar, percussion); Mansour Seck, Ilon Ba, Kante Manfila, (guitar); Aly Wargue (flute); Elhadj Niang (bass); Lansine Kouyate (balafon); Elhadj Aw (calabash); Janio Coronado (congas); Massamba Diop, Assane Diop, Bouba Kalidou Ba (tama); Roberto Cuao Riviera (timbales); Beda Seck, Bakhane Seck, Aliou Seck, Ali Seck, Karim Mbaye, Massow Ndiaye, Pa Seck, Babacar Seck, Medioune Ndiaye, Zale Diagne, Assane Ndiaye, Thio Mbaye, Macadou Samb (percussion); Mamy Kanoute, Goundo Cissokho, Sokhna Cissoko, Tonia Lo, Mama Sall, Jean Negri, Samba Gueye, Kaouding Cissokho, Barou Sall, Serigne Dame Diouf, Domonic Mendes, Ibou Niongue, L.C.G.C. (background vocals).
This is an Enhanced CD, which contains both regular audio tracks and multimedia computer files.
As one of Africa's most pivotal musicians, Baaba Maal has consistently produced music that challenges cultural expectations as well as political/social consciousness. Since he was not born into the griot caste, the group that traditionally produces music and documents history, Maal oversteps many barriers to create tunes that inspire dancing, thinking, and spiritual connection. Missing You (Mi Yeewnii) represents a pinnacle of sorts. After the commercial success of Firin' in Fouta and Nomad Soul, which were albums that presented a seamless blending of modern and traditional cultures, Missing You returns to the natural essence of African music -- the people and land itself. It's an offering that reaches both the modern and traditional worlds without compromise. This CD is a collection of intimate, pure tunes enhanced only by traditional instruments and Maal's soaring voice. Recorded in the small village of Nbunk, just outside of Maal's native Dakar, the album brims with the nuances of rural African life. Composed on acoustic guitar, the songs range from the throbbing percussion of "Leydi Ma," to the unadorned simplicity of "Miyaabele," a melody indigenous to all of West Africa, which Maal brilliantly uses as a plea for African unity. Boasting balafons, koras, drums, hoddu (African lute), and even crickets, Missing You reflects Maal's vision of one Africa, and it's a beautiful vision indeed. ~ Rosalind Cummings-Yeates
Pure enchantment resonates through every track of this 2001 release. Baaba Maal's fingers dance over the strings of his acoustic guitar, while bass, balafon, calabash, and timbales create a joyful noise, over which Maal's expressive vocals soar. Abandoning the louder pop influence of his previous few albums, MISSING YOU reverts to the gently rollicking acoustic sound that lifted the Senegalese folk singer to international stardom in the early 1990s. (It was recorded mostly live in Senegal, with a few transparent overdubs.) The most stirring track here is the album closer, "Allah Addu Jam." The first few minutes feature Maal's plaintive vocals sung for peace with minimal instrumental accompaniment. At the four-minute mark, the full band comes in, and the song lifts to the spiritual intensity of a great gospel tune.CMJ (6/11/01, p.12) - "...Vividly translates Maal's life experiences through its music and environmental sounds....It's a rich, almost opulent tribute to Maal's homeland."
Down Beat (12/01, pp.81-2) - 4 stars out of 5 - "...One of the best discs from the continent this year....engrossing..."
Vibe (8/01, p.162) - 4.5 discs out of 5 - "...An acoustic journey of pure enchantment..."
Mojo (Publisher) (5/01, p.108) - "...This is a quiet delight: intimate, powerful and majestic..."