Fely Tchaco – Yita (Fely Productions, 2021)
Yita (Deep Water) is the superb fifth album from elegant Ivorian artist Fely Tchaco. She is a fascinating, multifaceted artist. She composes and writes her own material, conceived the album artwork and created her fashion design, style and accessories. Yita was originally scheduled for release in the spring of 2020, but was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The album will be available March 8, 2021, to coincide with International Women’s Day.
On Yita, Fely Tchaco delves into themes of migration, human trafficking, and appeals for social justice and the end of police violence against civilians. The title track “Yita” was inspired by her 2016 compassionate trip to Syrian refugee camps in Greece, and the album is dedicated to African and Middle Eastern migrants who died crossing the Mediterranean Sea.
Fely Tchaco’s music is multidimensional. She put together a captivating mix of Ivorian roots, such as traditional rhythms of the West African forest region, such as gbegbe, gahu, alluku, and the zauli. Additionally, she added a wonderful set of styles such as Afrobeat, Afropop, rock, and electronic music. Fely Tchaco sings in many different languages, including English and French as well as in the languages she grew up speaking, such as Guro, Bete, and Dyula.
Fely was born in Ivory Coast and currently lives in San Francisco (USA). She says: “I am so grateful to be able to represent my culture as a Guro woman, because there are not many of us. It is mostly men that are known in the crafts, arts and dance. I hope that I can add to that by celebrating not only the Guro women but to celebrate the entire women all over the world who have contributed so much in art and music.”
The lineup on Yita includes Fely Tchaco on vocals; Abou Diarrasouba on drums and percussion; Jeff Simon on guitar; Jon Kidd on drums and percussion; and Tim Hager on rock guitar.
Stream the album at felytchaco.bandcamp.com/album/yita. Buy Yita
More about Fely Tchaco
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.
very interesting music..not usual.LOVE FOR THIS BRAVE WOMAN.