Global Roots Primer: Khaira Arby has The Power
When the Afropop Worldwide blog says "I can't say I've seen a more exciting performance all year," you might just want to listen up.
Banning Eyre from Afropop sees a lot of African music in his travels. His effusive review of a recent Khaira Arby show and his enthusiasm in seeing a fave of his reaching the wider audience she deserves is infectious. Banning called her "an Afropop legend, finally getting her due" and told readers to "do what they had to do" to see her on this U.S. tour. Read more here.
When I talked to Jeramiah Lockwood about Sway Machinery last month, he talked a bit about their time in Timbuktu at Festival au Desert last January and the shows they played with Arby and her band. He also answered a couple of questions about her. First thing to know, don't say her name with a hard "K" sound; it's more like an aspirated "h." Try something like "HI-rah."
When I asked if they had that Northern Mali desert blues sound or the southern Mali guitar sound, he told me it was somewhere in between, perhaps with elements of both. "It's the Timbuktu sound," Lockwood expained, going on to explain about how Timbuktu is a cultural crossroads and has been for centuries.
Now, I don't know how big her touring band will be, but the videos I've seen all show quite a bit of action on stage. The album's sound is very busy, too with several backing vocalists and a couple of instrumental melody lines at once. If everybody is on board, we'll get rhythm and lead guitar, ngoni, some kind of small spike fiddle (I think) plus percussion and backing vocalists.
The disc took a few listens for individual tracks to sort out enough to be distinctive. I'm hearing some of that southern Mali rockin' guitar groove a' la Vieux Farka Toure, I'm hearing some old school guitar licks straight out of the Orchestre Poly-Rythmo catalogue, I'm hearing a little pinch of desert blues. Both the spike fiddle and ngoni are given time to shine with extended solos.
The main thing that strikes this listener is that Arby has The Power. You know what I mean? That force of nature thing. She is in charge here, and her vocals project an intensity and a strength. Lockwood compared her "hard hitting vocal style" and live presence to Etta James!
He told me they get to "a consistant level of intensity...a frenetic quality, then it rises." I must say I am pretty excited to meet her, as well as hear the band. Got a feeling she'll be one of those performers I'll find myself calling "Ma'am," in the most respectful way.
