Red Earth (Dee Dee Bridgewater album)

Red Earth is a 2007 studio album by Dee Dee Bridgewater. It carries the subtitle "A Malian Journey" to celebrate and explore her African and Malian ancestry. The album brought her the seventh nomination for Best Jazz Vocal Album at the 2008 Grammy Awards. On Billboard's Top Jazz Album chart it reached Number 16.

Red Earth
Studio album by
Dee Dee Bridgewater
ReleasedApril 17, 2007
RecordedAugust 24–27, 2006
November 1–7, 2006
StudioStudio Bogolan, Bamako, Mali
Studio Davout, Paris, France
GenreJazz, Vocal, Fusion, Malinese Music/wassoulou
Length69:40
LabelDDB Records / EmArcy / Universal
ProducerDee Dee Bridgewater, Jean Marie Durand, Cheick Tidiane Seck
Dee Dee Bridgewater chronology
J'ai deux amours
(2005)		 Red Earth
(2007)		 Eleanora Fagan (1915-1959)
(2009)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
All About Jazz[1]
Allmusic[2]
The Buffalo News[3]
The Guardian[4]
laut.de[5]
Now[6]
The Observer[7]
PopMatters9/10[8]
Tom HullB+[9]

Reception

John L. Walters of The Guardian stated "After a few underwhelming "crossover" projects, US singer Dee Dee Bridgewater has made a cracking album that unites great jazz singing with the Malian griot tradition. Red Earth is neither fusion nor compromise but a happy meeting of African musicianship and Afro-American romanticism. Mostly recorded in Bamako, it includes several Malian songs: a sparkling version of Kasse Mady Diabaté's Bad Spirits (Bani), featuring Toumani Diabaté, and a joyous duet with Ramata Diakité on the latter's Mama Don't Ever Go Away (Mama Digna Sara Ye). Bridgewater makes a point of incorporating music and performances by several fine women singers and writers: Oumou Sangare, Mamani Keita, Fatamata "Mama" Kouyaté (on the bluesy title track) and Tata Kouyaté on Bambo (No More), her famous protest against forced marriage. An amazing cast of Malian musicians make classics such as Afro Blue and Long Time Ago (Wayne Shorter's Footprints with lyrics) sound reborn, giving Nina Simone's Four Women new depth and power. Wonderful."[10]

Track listing

All compositions by Dee Dee Bridgewater, except as noted.

  1. "Afro Blue" (Mongo Santamaría, Oscar Brown, Jr.) – 5:11
  2. "Bad Spirits" – 5:49
  3. "Dee Dee" (Baba Sissoko, Bridgewater) – 2:57
  4. "Mama Don't Ever Go Away" – 5:39
  5. "Long Time Ago" (Wayne Shorter, Bridgewater) – 6:48
  6. "Children Go 'Round" – 6:05
  7. "The Griots" – 6:04
  8. "Oh My Love" – 6:03
  9. "Four Women" (Nina Simone) – 5:24
  10. "No More" – 4:45
  11. "Red Earth" – 5:17
  12. "Meanwhile" (Edsel Gomez, Bridgewater) – 4:25
  13. "Compared to What" (Gene McDaniels, Lassy "King" Massassy) – 5:21

All tracks recorded in Bamako (Mali) at Studio Bogolan except tracks 11, 12 and 13 recorded in Paris at Davout studios.

Personnel
plus alternating line-ups with
  • Cheick Tidiane Seck - Fender Rhodes, Hammond organ, shakeres, calebasse, karignan, background vocals
  • Ramata Diakité - Vocals (track 4)
  • Mamani Keïta - Vocals (3), background vocals
  • Fatoumata "Mama" Kouyaté - Vocals (11), background vocals
  • Kabiné Kouyaté - Vocals (7), background vocals
  • Tata "Bambo" Kouyaté - Vocals (10)
  • Amy Sacko - Vocals (6), background vocals
  • Oumou Sangaré - Vocals (8)
  • Lassy "King" Massassy - Rap vocals (13)
  • Fatou - background vocals
  • Baba Sissoko - Balafon, ngoni, tamani and vocals (3)
  • Lansiné Kouyaté - Balafon
  • Habib "Dia" Sangaré - Bolon
  • Alou Kouloubali - Calebasse
  • "Petit" Adama Diarra - Djembe
  • Cheick "Sékou" Oumar - Djembe
  • Djifli Mamadou Sanogo - Djembe
  • Moussa Sissikho - Djembe (soloist)
  • Maré Sanogo - Doum-doum
  • Lamine Tounkara - Doum-doum
  • Aly Wagué - Flute (5, 9)
  • Gabriel Durand - Guitar
  • Modibo Kouyaté - Guitar
  • Jacob Soubeiga - Guitar
  • Djelimady Tounkara - Guitar (soloist)
  • Mamadou Diabaté - Kora
  • Cherif Samano - Kora
  • Yakhoba Sissokho - Kora (soloist)
  • Benogo Diakité - Kamale ngoni (soloist)
  • Moriba Koïta - Ngoni (soloist)
  • Bassekou Kouyaté - Ngoni (soloist)
  • Adama Tounkara - Ngoni
  • "Pepito" Sekouba Kouyaté - Tama
  • Moussa Sissoko - Tama

Chart positions
Chart (2007) Peak
position
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[11] 93
French Albums (SNEP)[12] 53
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[13] 86
US Jazz Albums (Billboard)[14] 16

References
  1. GREENLAND, TOM (October 16, 2007). "Dee Dee Bridgewater: Red Earth: A Malian Journey". All About Jazz. allaboutjazz.com. Retrieved 20 November 2017.
  2. "Dee Dee Bridgewater: Red Earth". Allmusic. allmusic.com. Retrieved 20 November 2017.
  3. Simon, Jeff (October 21, 2007). "Listening Post / Brief reviews of select releases". The Buffalo News. Retrieved 18 August 2020.
  4. Walters, John L (15 Jun 2007). "Dee Dee Bridgewater, Red Earth". The Guardian. theguardian.com. Retrieved 30 May 2018.
  5. Kopp, Kai. "Das Beste zum Thema World-Jazz seit langem" (in German). laut.de. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
  6. Perlich, Tim (12 April 2007). "Dee Dee Bridgewater". NOW Magazine. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
  7. Nicholson, Stuart (16 June 2007). "CD: Dee Dee Bridgewater, Red Earth". The Guardian. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
  8. Layman, Will (10 December 2007). "Dee Dee Bridgewater: Red Earth". PopMatters. popmatters.com. Retrieved 30 May 2018.
  9. "Tom Hull: Grade List: Dee Dee Bridgewater". Tom Hull. Retrieved 10 July 2020.
  10. Walters, John L (15 Jun 2007). "Dee Dee Bridgewater, Red Earth". The Guardian. theguardian.com. Retrieved 30 May 2018.
  11. "Ultratop.be – Dee Dee Bridgewater – Red Earth - A Malian Journey" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved November 2, 2013.
  12. "Lescharts.com – Dee Dee Bridgewater – Red Earth - A Malian Journey". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 2, 2013.
  13. "Swisscharts.com – Dee Dee Bridgewater – Red Earth - A Malian Journey". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 2, 2013.
  14. Dee Dee Bridgewater - Red Earth Awards. Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved November 2, 2013.
  • Liner notes
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