"Kenyan Songs And Strings" - various artists

• artist:
  various artists
• featured artist:
  various artists
• country:
  Kenya
• region:
  East Africa
• release year:
  2006
• style(s): Ethnic
• formats:
  • CD (Compact Disc)
• record submitted 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.