Oumou Sangare – Ko Sira (World Circuit/Rounder, 1993)
Malian singer Oumou Sangaré cemented her international profile with Ko Sira, her second widely distributed release, delivered in 1993 by World Circuit/Rounder. First released independently in Mali as Bi Furu, the album introduced broader audiences to Sangaré’s Wassulu style, her magnetic vocals, and her outspoken focus on women’s lives.
Ko Sira combines traditional Malian vocal and rhythmic forms with guitar, bass and violin, supported by irresistible West African percussion and call-and-response choruses. Sangaré wrote the material herself, recording the album in Berlin with producers Nick Gold of World Circuit and Massambou Welle Diallo.
The album found strong commercial traction in Europe, spending several months on world music charts. Its title translates as “Marriage Today,” reflecting the record’s central concern with contemporary relationships and feminist themes that run throughout Sangaré’s body of work.
Buy Ko Sira.
Author: Madison Quinn
