Washington Post: Rokia Traoré's "Dramatic, Entrancing" Vocals, Blend of Styles, Make "Tchamantché" "Compelling"

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Rokia Traoré's two-week US tour with music from her latest Nonesuch release, Tchamantché, continues tonight at the Cedar Cultural Center in Minneapolis. That city's Star Tribune describes Traoré's work as "fearless, sophisticated, genre-bending music" and says her "gorgeous vocals ... express the nuances of intimacy and emotion with the refinement of a calligrapher." The Washington Post describes Rokia's voice as "dramatic and entrancing" but concludes, "The album's real allure is its blend of traditional and contemporary elements ..."

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Rokia Traoré's two-week US tour with music from her latest Nonesuch release, Tchamantché, began earlier this week in Northern California, leading the San Francisco Chronicle's Jonathan Curiel to write that the new album "confirms Traoré's reputation as one of Africa's most sublime artists."

The tour continues tonight at the Cedar Cultural Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Reviewing the new album for the Minneapolis-St. Paul Star Tribune, critic Britt Robson describes Traoré's work as "fearless, sophisticated, genre-bending music" and says "there is a unique, graceful quietude about Tchamantché that is both a little spooky and reassuring, like a conversation in the dark. The electrified instruments are often restrained, as are Traoré's gorgeous vocals, which express the nuances of intimacy and emotion with the refinement of a calligrapher."

Read the review at startribune.com.

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After stops at Chicago's Old Town School of Folk Music and New York's Le Poisson Rouge, Rokia will head down to the Barns at Wolftrap in Vienna, Virginia, outside of Washington, DC.

The Washington Post's Catherine P. Lewis writes that Rokia "has a voice that is dramatic and entrancing—and yet that's only part of what makes her fourth release, Tchamantché, so compelling. The album's real allure is its blend of traditional and contemporary elements ..."

Lewis cites as "particularly stunning" Rokia's guitar technique on the album's title track and the second track on the album, "the trancelike 'Dianfa.'"

Read the full review at washingtonpost.com.

---

Rokia is a featured guest on this week's episode Tavis Smiley radio show. You can listen to her segment online now at tavissmileyradio.com. You'll also find information on where to tune in on a radio station near you this weekend.

For more information on Rokia's tour, visit nonesuch.com/on-tour.

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Rokia Traoré "Tchamantché" [cover]
  • Friday, February 6, 2009
    Washington Post: Rokia Traoré's "Dramatic, Entrancing" Vocals, Blend of Styles, Make "Tchamantché" "Compelling"

    Rokia Traoré's two-week US tour with music from her latest Nonesuch release, Tchamantché, began earlier this week in Northern California, leading the San Francisco Chronicle's Jonathan Curiel to write that the new album "confirms Traoré's reputation as one of Africa's most sublime artists."

    The tour continues tonight at the Cedar Cultural Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Reviewing the new album for the Minneapolis-St. Paul Star Tribune, critic Britt Robson describes Traoré's work as "fearless, sophisticated, genre-bending music" and says "there is a unique, graceful quietude about Tchamantché that is both a little spooky and reassuring, like a conversation in the dark. The electrified instruments are often restrained, as are Traoré's gorgeous vocals, which express the nuances of intimacy and emotion with the refinement of a calligrapher."

    Read the review at startribune.com.

    ---

    After stops at Chicago's Old Town School of Folk Music and New York's Le Poisson Rouge, Rokia will head down to the Barns at Wolftrap in Vienna, Virginia, outside of Washington, DC.

    The Washington Post's Catherine P. Lewis writes that Rokia "has a voice that is dramatic and entrancing—and yet that's only part of what makes her fourth release, Tchamantché, so compelling. The album's real allure is its blend of traditional and contemporary elements ..."

    Lewis cites as "particularly stunning" Rokia's guitar technique on the album's title track and the second track on the album, "the trancelike 'Dianfa.'"

    Read the full review at washingtonpost.com.

    ---

    Rokia is a featured guest on this week's episode Tavis Smiley radio show. You can listen to her segment online now at tavissmileyradio.com. You'll also find information on where to tune in on a radio station near you this weekend.

    For more information on Rokia's tour, visit nonesuch.com/on-tour.

    Journal Articles:On TourReviewsRadio

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