Akory (Wake Up Music, 2015)
Malagasy singer-songwriter Razia brings a message of hope and conservation with her latest release Akory. The album features a nicely balanced mix of joyful Malagasy traditional music combined with modern elements such as funk, Afropop and jazz.
Akory means ‘what now?’ in Malagasy. It’s a question for Madagascar’s citizens and their political leaders. Razia is committed to preserving the rich biodiversity of Madagascar, which is in danger due to illegal logging, slash-and-burn agriculture and the effect of climate change.
The new album includes guest appearances by some of Madagascar’s finest musicians such as guitar maestro D’Gary, celebrated accordionist Regis Gizavo, and valiha (a zither made of a bamboo tube and plucked metal strings) virtuoso Rajery. In addition, Razia’s band uses various other traditional instruments including marovany (a wooden box zither), and lukanga (a three stringed fiddle). Razia’s band features Bivy on guitar, Do on drums, Johnny on bass, Daniel on marovany, Teta on guitar, and Petit on percussion.
“Malagasy music is very rich,” expresses Razia. “Everywhere in Madagascar you can hear guitar, accordion and local instruments played in the most remote villages.”
On Akory, Razia sculpts spirited cross-cultural Malagasy sounds. She demonstrates why she is one of the most significant artists from Madagascar.
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Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.
