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Sat. March 22 Sometimes, you can tell something about an artist by the company she keeps. For Angelique Kidjo, a West African singer, that company includes Peter Gabriel, Josh Gr obon, Alicia Keys, Carlos Santana, Ziggy Marley and Joss Stone. Not bad. Stone and Kidjo's collaboration on the Rolling Stones' "Gimme Shelter," is a mesmerizing re-envisioning: less ominous, more uplifting, still foreboding. All the aforementioned artists are on her Tony Visconti-produced CD, "Djin Djin," for which she just won her first Grammy. She's at Saturday March 22 8 p.m. at the Somerville Theatre.
On her new disc, she sings in her native Beninese language as well as French and English. The music is a tribal blend where chants and drum patterns rip through a melange of funk, R&B, salsa, samba and much more. But, as with a llot of African music, it's much more accessible to the ear than it may seem to the eye. Kidjo, a UNICEF Goodwill ambassador, writes songs with messages about racial unity and independence. It's soulful, feelgood music from a world far away. Sometimes, there's nothing better in terms of escaping - and yet confronting - our own than an evening in a theater listening to someone else's ideas and realizing a commmon ground. Tickets are $40 and $30. 55 Davis Square., Somerville, 617-876-4275 WorldMusic.org |
