Great variety of artists and talents

The producers of this CD really went to great length to find the talents on this CD. The music is varied and from many parts of Madagascar. This is part of a 3-CD collection and is a "must-have" for Malagasy songs addicts, like myself. The last track (n. 17) is the loveliest for me, which just happened to be recorded because the microphone was accidentally left ON. I imagine the American Producers getting their first taste of Malagasy music, with Tarika Ramilison singing and dancing a dihy Gasy... cultural shock and all. Then realize in the morning that it was all caught in tape... Just plain old and wonderful Dihy Gasy uncut. But there are also the other artists: It starts with the beckoning calls of the Lemurs, followed by my all time favorite "O Isa" by Rossy& Rakoto Frah ( It makes me cry) Of course, it has to contain Mahaleo with "Tany Boribory" and a welcomed twist of a foreign song (I think American but I am not sure) by Rossy in "I'm A Lonesome Fugitive." Yes, Rossy can deliver quality work in English! Tarika Rakoto Frah sings the all-too-familiar tune of "viavy Rozy." Of course, no collection is complete without the famous "Afindrafindrao" played so wonderfully by Sylvestre Randafison & Germain Rakotomavo. "Sambo De Gera" is a great tune for a Dama's fan. Rakoto Frah even invented a song at the recording station, just like that, on the spot... how about that. He is just so great! Voninavoko is a household name in Madagascar. "Tadidiko" is Mahaleo's way of thanking their fans through the 1972 event (grevy)... through thick and thin. There are so many more songs that you will have to find yourself.

Still good, but the weakest CD in the series

In 1991, guitarists Henry Kaiser and David Lindley brought a digital recording studio to Madagascar and spent 2 weeks recording as many top musicians as they could, sometimes playing along with them. Of all the world music I've heard, the music of Madagascar is by far my favorite, and this series is the best introduction you're going to find. That said, this CD is the weakest of the series--all the best material was used on Volume 1 (a second recording trip was made to produce Vol. 3). The best stuff here is by Dama Mahaleo, who the Shanachie label's liner notes invariably refer to as a cross between Bob Dylan and John Lennon. The tracks by his band Mahaleo, and his flatpicking on "Sambo de Gera", a duet with D'Gary, are splendid. Rossy and Tarika Sammy, a couple of my favorites, are here, but except for Rossy's "Tsihai Akory Atao", these are not among their best songs. Rossy provides a cover of Merle Haggard's "I'm a Lonesome Fugitive", with Lindley singing the lead vocal. Roger Georges provides a salegy, a Malagasy dance beat in 12/8, with the accent on the second beat in each triplet. Sylvestre Randafison, a master of the valiha, a tubular zither with a harp-like sound, contributes the standard "Afindrafindao". The album opens with an accidental project by the recording engineer, who inadvertently taped a test drum machine recording onto a tape of lemur noises, and found they fit in perfect time together. You can't go wrong with any CD in this series, but to develop a proper love of Madagascar's music, go with Volume 1 if you can find it.