Rokia Traoré's new album, Beautiful Africa, is due out September 24, in the US, following its critically acclaimed international release earlier this year. But no need to wait till then to hear it. The album is streaming in full all this week as an NPR First Listen. "Beautiful Africa is just as smart and lovely as its creator," says NPR Music's Anastasia Tsioulcas. Rokia Traoré kicks off her North American tour at Lincoln Center’s White Light Festival in November.
Beautiful Africa, the new album from singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Rokia Traoré, is due out next week, September 24, in the US, following its critically acclaimed international release earlier this year. But US fans don't need to wait till then to hear it. The album is streaming in full all this week as an NPR First Listen. "Beautiful Africa is just as smart and lovely as its creator," says NPR Music's Anastasia Tsioulcas.
"She calls Beautiful Africa a rock album—but this is rock filtered through a Malian prism," Tsioulcas writes. "The West African ngoni lute figures as prominently as the electric guitars; her rhythms boast a distinctly African sway. But she also enlisted John Parish, who's worked with PJ Harvey, Eels and Sparklehorse, as her producer for Beautiful Africa, and you can hear his influence in the grooving, driving, rushing currents that swirl under Traoré's honeyed voice. It's an inspired idea, and there may not be an artist better equipped to pull off the combination with such ease and grace."
Read more and listen to the complete album at npr.org/music.
Beautiful Africa is available to pre-order in the Nonesuch Store with an instant download of the title track available at checkout and a download of the complete album available starting on release day.
Rokia Traoré performs music from her new album in New York City on November 15 as part of Lincoln Center’s White Light Festival, kicking off Traoré's North American tour; for details and tickets, visit nonesuch.com/on-tour.
- Log in to post comments
