Angelique Kidjo Unveils "Quimbara" From Celia (April 19/Verve/Universal Music France)Featuring Tony Allen, Meshell Ndegeocello on Bass, Gangbé Brass BandCELIA EXPLORES THE AFRICAN ROOTS OF THE QUEEN OF SALSA CELIA CRUZOFFICIAL PRESS RELEASENEWS PROVIDED BY Shore Fire Media Angélique Kidjo has unveiled the first music from her forthcoming album Celia(Verve/Universal Music France), an album that honors Celia Cruz, widely known as “the Queen of Salsa” and the most popular Latin artist of the 20th century. The song is “Quimbara,” a beloved Celia Cruz classic, that Angelique has infused with a searing intensity, pulsating with the sounds of her own West African roots. The recording features Fela Kuti drummer and Afrobeat legend Tony Allen on drums, Meshell Ndegeocello on bass, and the Ganbge Brass Band from Benin. Listen to “Quimbara” and Pre-Order “Celia” Here: https:// Says Angelique: "Quimbara is the first song of Celia Cruz that I ever learned in Benin, West African where I grew up. The vocals were so acrobatic and it was a beautiful challenge for me. Many years later when I met Celia backstage in Paris before one of her concerts, I started to sing it and she said: “please, come join me on stage for Quimbara, we’ll sing it together”. That was one of the highlights of my musical life in Paris!" On Celia, Angélique explores the African roots of the Cuban-born Cruz and reimagines selections from Cruz’s extraordinary career in surprising new ways, spiked with sounds and rhythms from Cuba, Africa, the Middle East, Brazil, America and beyond. Celia was recorded in New York and Paris, produced and arranged by David Donatien and mixed by Russell Elevado (D’Angelo, Kamasi Washington). Angélique Kidjo has been recognized as one of the world’s 100 most influential women by The Guardian and dubbed as “Africa’s Premiere Diva” by Time magazine. Her last release, 2018’s radical reimagining of the Talking Heads album Remain In Light was deemed “transformative” by The New York Times, “visionary” by NPR Music and “one of the year’s most vibrant albums” by The Washington Post. Angélique will tour various projects through 2019 and she will open for Vampire Weekend at Madison Square Garden on September 6. ‘Celia’ track list:
Tour dates: Mar 8 – Sydney, AU – Sydney Opera House (Remain In Light)
Source Shore Fire Media
March 15, 2019 3:37pm ET by Shore Fire Media |