[.ca] Spirit Of Africa

From Amazon.co.uk:
Those wanting to make a small economic gesture to the health crisis now enveloping the world's poorest continent should immediately buy Spirit of Africa, whose sponsor is the Aids charity, Mercury Phoenix Trust. In this and other respects, this CD should be bracketed with Oxfam Africa, whose musical conspectus is similarly ambitious. But Spirit of Africa, which is released under the aegis of Peter Gabriel's label, is refreshingly different from other single-CD African tours, in that there is only one inclusion--Youssou N'Dour, here heard in infectiously good form--whom one might have predicted. There's a lot of well-blended acoustic and techno stuff, and one marvellously original piece of fusion: throat-singer Dr Hukwe Zawose from Tanzania and guitar virtuoso Michael Brook from Canada weave an extraordinary spell. And there is much else to savour, including the ethereal lyre music of Ayub Ogada from Kenya, and the soft a cappella singing of Imbizo from Zimbabwe. Every song is about Aids, with the final one a poignant description of what its effects are as you waste away, but the prevailing tone is cheerful stoicism. --Michael Church

Listen with open mind.:
Excellent mixture of authentic music. I love the first song by Papa Wemba, the blend of piano with his vocal stylings is quite wonderful.

• Awa Y'okeyi (If You Go Away) - Papa Wemba
• Somali Udiida Ceb (Somalia, Don't Shame Yourself) \oPaul Oakenfold Mix\c - Maryam Mursal
• Saï Saï Sida (AIDS the Devil) - Omar Pene, Super Diamono De Dakar
• Kulusizi Emhlabeni (It's Sad in This World) - Mzwakhe Mbuli
• Xale (Our Young People) - Youssou N'Dour
• Sima - Assitan Keita, Tama
• 10% \oSpirit Mix\c - Ayub Ogada
• Kasennyanku (The Firewood Collector) - Bernard Kabanda
• Mambo Kwa Soksi (Things With Socks) - Remmy Ongala
• Baraka - Hamid Baroudi
• Zulu Khayalami (Heaven Is My Home) - Imbizo
• Kuna Kunguni \oThe Bedbugs Bite\c - Zawose & Brook
• Extract - Drummers of Burundi
• AIDS the Disease