An odd, endearing album
Joe Sixpack -- Slipcue.com | ...in Middle America | 10/29/2001
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Guitarist Sooliman Rogie's career spand back to the 1950s, when he became a leading light of Sierra Leone's "palm wine" music scene, and his early work is prized for its light touch and raggedy appeal. Still, these later recordings made for Peter Gabriel's Real world label have a charm all their own, particularly the acoustic tracks that open the album, which have a relaxed, what's-the-hurry feel reminiscent of Bahamian troubadour Joseph Spence. There's a similar oddball sense of humor, as Rogie indulges in glib, absurdist flights of fancy as on "Woman To Woman (Nor Weight Me Lek Dat)," sung in a playful pidgin English. The record goes on into more fully arranged Afropop tune, which are also quite pleasant, but it's the bluesy acoustic stuff at the start that's really unique."
I got this for the title...
Andrew S. Toomajian | Montague, MA | 12/16/2003
(4 out of 5 stars)
"i was bumbling around a flea market and saw the disk, no case or any other info, on a table. the seller didnt know anything about the music, but it was on peter gabriel's real world label so there was a good chance it would be worth a listen. i talked the seller into letting me have it for a buck. it was well worth it. so, s.e. rogie makes kinda dreamy african folk songs, kinda feels like a hawaiian lluau vibe, some sort of island feel. lazy sunny days. anyone who likes, hmm, ali farka toure, or baaba maal's 'djam leeli', or mansour seck, or olu dara, or the jolly boys will like this. i once saw a review that called rogie 'the love child of miriam makeba and jimmy rogers' thats a stong endorsement, and a good description."
Track Listings (10) - Disc #1
