Sekou Sundiata sets out to make "poems that are African American as bean pies and be-attitudes."

Long Story Short
Sekou Sundiata
(Click to buy CD online Now)

Format: CD
Release Date: Feb 8 2000
Label: RIGHTEOUS BABE

On his new album, Sekou Sundiata presents a musical conglomerate of chant, drama, blues, and ghost stories. "This is the truth about Americans still enslaved by the ideas, images and relationships that were set off way back when. Willful ignorance and historical amnesia won't do, the seal has been broken," Sundiata says of his second release, LONG STORY SHORT. Sundiata's poem-songs transport the discussion from juke joint to jazz club and all the spots in between -- each place the setting for a different take on the story. The opening "Mandela" is a mélange of Afro-Carribean rhythms that make the listener want to "be runnin' and jumpin' and shakin' our heads" right alongside Sundiata and his backup singers, while "Lonely Man's Portrait of a Romance" is a two-sided reminiscence, laced with lament and braggadocio. Throughout, the pan-African musical palette is familiar and comforting, and the ensemble's varied rhythmic grooves -- and particularly Marvin Sewell's bluesy guitar -- stand out as startling gems. Mostly though, it is Sundiata's velvet voice that carries the stories and floats the songs, providing crucial culture and soothing comfort in these times, which can still be a struggle. ~Nasoan Sheftel-Gomes

 

AALBC.com Home | Advertise | Discussion | Chat | Books | Fun Stuff | About AALBC.com | Writer's Resources | Get on the AALBC.com | Reviews | Events | Send us Feedback | Privacy Policy | Buy Any Book]

Search Now: