Meshell Ndegeocello Anchors Angélique Kidjo’s “Celia”
Vocalist Angélique Kidjo’s new album, Celia, is a tribute to salsa queen Celiz Cruz, but it’s more than an album of covers. Kidjo brings out the African influences of the Cuban-born singer’s music.
“As a child, I saw Celia Cruz singing in Benin and her energy and joy changed my life,” Kidjo says. “It was the first I was seeing a powerful woman performer on a stage. Her voice was percussive and her songs resonated in a mysterious way with me. Many years later, I learned she was singing the Yoruba songs that were carried out of Benin 400 years before.”
To bring her passion project to life, Kidjo enlisted the help of Tony Allen, David Donatien, Shabaka Hutchings, Sons Of Kemet And The Gangbé Brass Band, and bassist Meshell Ndegeocello. You can hear Ndegeocello make it groove on the track “Quimbara”:
Celia is available now on CD and as a digital download (iTunes and Amazon MP3).
Celia Track List:
- Cucala
- La Vida Es Un Carnaval
- Sahara
- Bailayemaya
- Toromata
- Elegua
- Quimbara
- Bemba Colora
- Oyadiosa
- Yemaya
In his time with No Treble, Kevin has met hundreds of amazing bassists and interviewed icons like Jack Casady, Victor Wooten, Les Claypool, Marcus Miller, and more. He's a gigging bassist performing jazz in Northern Virginia and bluegrass with The Plate Scrapers up and down the East Coast. Kevin appreciates all genres of music, from R&B to metal and everything in between. Connect with Kevin on Facebook and check his performance schedule on his website.
