Miziki

Eight years after receiving a Grammy Award for her song ‘Palea’, the African singer-songwriter Dobet Gnahoré has released her fifth album: 12 gems with deep tribal influences. Rattles, whistles, mbiras (thumb piano), flutes, percussion and other traditional musical sources blend with Dobet's wide-ranging vocals, mixing French with Bété, the language of the Ivory Coast that she grew up with, to create a dynamic rhythmic sound. The addition of a catchy electric band, which is led by the album's producer Nicolas Repac, renders the overall tone of Miziki even more dense.

Some of Dobet's songs express a heartfelt tenderness, as on the track ‘Love’, with its subtly arranged strings and Brazilian percussion; or in the simple arpeggios of a classical guitar in ‘Le Monde’; or in ‘Afrika’, a melody delivered with infinite grace to express her affection for the continent. Three tracks pay tribute to the fighting spirit of African women: ‘Akissi la Rebelle’ is the portrait of a rebellious girl whose energy and creativity cannot be repressed; ‘Lobé’ recounts the dreams of a handicapped woman whose efforts to become independent are rewarded; and, in ‘La Source’, grandmothers are acknowledged as the roots of humanity. The irrepressible syncopated beat of the title-track ‘Miziki’ makes it a potential dance floor hit. Dobet Gnahoré has surely won her place as one of Africa's greatest female music icons.