"Kenyan Songs And Strings" - various artists

various artists
front cover
  • artist:various artists
  • featured artist:various artists
  • region:East Africa
  • release year:2006
  • style(s):Ethnic
  • country:Kenya
  • formats:CD (Compact Disc)
  • record posted by:SWP Records
  • label:SWP Records
  • publisher:no publisher
  •   buy this record

The selection of music here is comprised of a capella choirs, and songs accompanied by string instruments. Except for two guitar tracks and one oud track, the srting instruments are all lyres - chepkongo, kipukandet, thum, litungu. The strummed lyres sound very guitar-like, at times positively post=punk, including the famous song 'Chemirocha' about the singing cowboy Jimmy Rodgers. Listen to the wonderful buzzing bass sound of the plucked thum, with strings made of cow-tendons, no longer heard today as the strings nowadays are nylon. And an array of beautiful traditional vocal styles.