| The Message | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1998 | |||
| Label | Wicklow [1] | |||
| Producer | Kevin Finseth | |||
| Alpha Yaya Diallo chronology | ||||
| ||||
The Message is an album by the Guinean-born Canadian musician Alpha Yaya Diallo. [2] It was independently released in Canada in 1998, with an international release in 1999. [3] [4] The Message won a Juno Award, in the "Best Global Album" category. [5] Diallo supported the album with a Canadian tour. [6]
Produced by Kevin Finseth, the album was written and recorded in Vancouver, Canada. [7] [3] Diallo sang in Fula, Susu, Maninka, and French. [8] His guitar playing was influenced by George Benson and Mark Knopfler. [9] "Kakande" is an instrumental. [10]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [11] |
| Robert Christgau | A− [12] |
| The Gazette | 8.5/10 [13] |
| MusicHound World: The Essential Album Guide | [7] |
The Austin Chronicle wrote that "Diallo's vox isn't quite as distinct as that of Baaba Maal or Youssou N'Dour, but that permits Diallo ... to do something those West African international superstars can't: serve up potent harmony vocals as in the blistering, syncopated Latin rhythm of 'Amour'." [14] Robert Christgau opined that "somehow this Guinéean guitarist-vocalist parses the link between pan-African beatsmanship and world-music eternal return." [12]
Newsday noted that "Diallo's lyrics articulate his bittersweet yearning for the tattered ties and scuffed dignity of his embattled homeland." [15] The Ottawa Citizen called the album "an energetic fusion of the traditional Manding and Foulah guitar rhythms with modern funk and jazz." [16] The Gazette praised Diallo's "increasingly refined songwriting, singing, guitar playing and percussion." [13]
AllMusic deemed Diallo "a master musician, playing guitar, bass, and percussion as he leads his razor-sharp ensemble through an exhilarating nine-song set." [11] The Cape Cod Times listed The Message as the fifth best CD of 1999. [17]
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Fissiriwaly" | |
| 2. | "Badenma" | |
| 3. | "Faybhe" | |
| 4. | "Kakande" | |
| 5. | "Duniya" | |
| 6. | "Africa" | |
| 7. | "Amour" | |
| 8. | "Fatumata Diallo" | |
| 9. | "Vancouver Venez Voir" |
Liberation is an album by the Jamaican musician Bunny Wailer, released in 1989 through Shanachie Records. Wailer supported the album with a North American tour. It was nominated for a Grammy Award, in the "Best Reggae Recording" category.
Oscar Lopez is a Chilean-Canadian guitarist, whose signature style blends Latin and jazz styles.
Gob is a Canadian punk rock band from Langley, British Columbia, formed in 1993. The band consists of Tom Thacker, Theo Goutzinakis, Gabe Mantle and Steven Fairweather. They were nominated for a Juno Award for best new group in 2000, and received another Juno nomination for best video in 2002. Gob's most successful album is World According to Gob. Their best-selling songs to date are "I Hear You Calling", "Soda", and "Banshee Song". They have been featured in movies, TV shows, and many sporting video games such as NHL 2002, NHL 2003, NHL 2004 and Madden NFL 2003 with songs such as "Oh! Ellin", "I've Been Up These Steps", "Sick With You", "I Hear You Calling" and "Give Up the Grudge". The band has appeared at several music festivals, the most well-known being the Vans Warped Tour. Thacker is also a lead and rhythm guitarist for fellow Canadian rock band Sum 41.
Alpha Yaya Diallo is a Guinean-born Canadian guitarist, singer and songwriter. He incorporates Guinea's rich musical tradition into his original compositions. Diallo has won two Juno Awards, shared a third, and was nominated another three times.
Yaya Diallo is a musician and author from the Republic of Mali.
Yellow Moon is an album by the Neville Brothers, released in 1989. The track "Healing Chant" won best pop instrumental performance at the 32nd (1989) Grammy Awards.
African Guitar Summit is a group of nine Canadian musicians, all of African origin, who perform traditional songs from their native countries.
Huevos Rancheros were a Canadian surf rock band from Calgary, Alberta, active from 1990 to 2000. Huevos Rancheros performed an instrumental blend of rockabilly, surf, garage and punk music.
JW-Jones is a Canadian blues guitarist, singer, songwriter and band leader. He is a Juno Award nominee (2015), Billboard magazine Top 10 Selling artist, and winner of the International Blues Challenge for "Best Self-Produced CD Award" for his release 'High Temperature' in 2017 and Best Guitarist in 2020.
Shona Le Mottee is a Canadian celtic/pop fiddler and vocalist who previously lived in Vancouver, British Columbia. In 2019 she relocated to Glasgow, Scotland.
Adam "The Professor" Solomon is a Juno Award-winning composer, guitar maestro, and singer. Solomon began performing at an early age, playing the kivoti (flute) and the kayamba (shaker) at village celebrations and festivals. He established his career playing lead guitar and singing on recordings and videos with some of Kenya's most popular bands and musicians, including Joseph Kamaru, Bana Citoyen, Super Kalles, Super Mazembe, Les Wanyika, Popo Lipo of Lessa Lessan, Professor Mb. Naaman with the Nine Stars Band, Kanda Bongo Man, Fadhili Williams, Juma Toto, and the Mombasa Roots Band. Adam's touring credits include workshops and performances with Congolese superstar Papa Wemba and Ismael Lo from Senegal.
Molinos is the third studio album by Canadian worldbeat/Celtic rock band The Paperboys. After the success of their second album Late as Usual (1994), Neill Burnett and Moritz Behm left the band and were replaced by Shannon Saunders and Shona LeMotte, both of whom came from musical families and had been steeped in Celtic and bluegrass traditions for years. After a tour of the United States, flutist Hanz Araki joined the band in 1996. The new members of the band drew the band into an increasingly world music-based direction, and began work on Molinos shortly afterwards.
Time for a Witness is the fourth studio album by the American rock band the Feelies, released in 1991 on A&M/Coyote. The band supported the album with a North American tour.
The Blow-Up is a live album by the American band Television, released as The Blow Up on cassette in 1982. It was reissued in 1990 and again in 1999. The songs first appeared on a bootleg titled Arrow.
The Angstones were a Canadian band based in Ottawa, Ontario. Their music combined European and American folk music with humorous lyrics and jazz rhythms. The lineup consisted of Peter Kiesewalter on reeds and accordion, Kurt Walther on guitar, Rob Frayne on sax, John Geggie on bass, and Ian Mackie on drums. Members of this band also performed with Fat Man Waving and Chelsea Bridge.
My World is an album by the American musician Ray Charles, released in 1993. Charles incorporated elements of gospel, funk, and New jack swing.
Apartheid Is Nazism is an album by the Ivorian musician Alpha Blondy. The title track was a hit; the album, as an import, was a success in the United States prior to its Shanachie release. Blondy supported the album with a North American tour.
Bringin' It All Back Home is an album by the American musician Johnny Copeland. It was released in 1985. Copeland supported the album with a North American tour.
White African is an album by the American musician Otis Taylor, released in 2001.
Chamunorwa is an album by the Zimbabwean musician Thomas Mapfumo, released in 1991. He is credited with his band, Blacks Unlimited. The title translates to What Are We Fighting For. Chamunorwa was Mapfumo's final album for Mango Records.