New York, NY (Top40 Charts) Angélique Kidjo has unveiled the first music from her forthcoming album Celia(Verve/Universal
Music France), an album that honors Celia Cruz, widely known as "the
Queen of Salsa" and the most popular Latin artist of the 20th century. The song is "Quimbara," a beloved
Celia Cruz classic, that Angelique has infused with a searing intensity, pulsating with the sounds of her own West African roots. The recording features Fela Kuti drummer and Afrobeat legend Tony Allen on drums, Meshell Ndegeocello on bass, and the Ganbge Brass Band from Benin. Listen to "Quimbara" and Pre-Order "Celia" below:
Says Angelique: "Quimbara is the first song of
Celia Cruz that I ever learned in Benin, West African where I grew up. The vocals were so acrobatic and it was a beautiful challenge for me. Many years later when I met Celia backstage in Paris before one of her concerts, I started to sing it and she said: "please, come join me on stage for Quimbara, we'll sing it together". That was one of the highlights of my musical life in Paris!"
On Celia, Angélique explores the African roots of the Cuban-born Cruz and reimagines selections from Cruz's extraordinary career in surprising new ways, spiked with sounds and rhythms from Cuba, Africa, the Middle East, Brazil,
America and beyond.
Celia was recorded in New York and Paris, produced and arranged by
David Donatien and mixed by Russell Elevado (D'Angelo, Kamasi Washington).
Angélique Kidjo has been recognized as one of the world's 100 most influential women by The Guardian and dubbed as "Africa's Premiere Diva" by Time magazine. Her last release, 2018's radical reimagining of the
Talking Heads album Remain In Light was deemed "transformative" by The New York Times, "visionary" by NPR
Music and "one of the year's most vibrant albums" by The Washington Post.
Angélique will tour various projects through 2019 and she will open for
Vampire Weekend at Madison
Square Garden on
September 6.
'Celia' track list:
1. Cucala
2. La Vida Es Un Carnaval
3. Sahara
4.
Baila Yemaja
5. Toro Mata
6. Elegua
7. Quimbara
8. Bemba Colora
9. Oya Diosa
10. Yemaja
Tour dates:
Mar 8 - Sydney, AU - Sydney Opera House (Remain In Light)
Mar 10 - Adelaide, AU - WOMADelaide (Remain In Light)
Mar 16 - New Plymouth, NZ - WOMAD NZ (Remain In Light)
Mar 23 - Boise, ID -Treefort
Music Festival (Remain In Light)
Mar 27 - Burghausen, DE - Wackerhalle (Sing The Truth)
Apr 3 - Burlington, VT - Flynn Center (Remain In Light)
Apr 6 - Savannah, GA - Savannah
Music Festival (Remain In Light)
Apr 8 - Durham, NC - Carolina Theatre (Remain In Light)
Apr 11 - Kingston, NY - Ulster Performing Arts Center (Remain In Light)
Apr 12 - Princeton, NJ - McCarter Theatre Center (Remain In Light)
May 9 -London, UK - Southbank Centre (Lodger Symphony)
May 11 - Stavanger, NO - Stravanger Konserthus
May 12 - Trondheim, NO - Byscenen
May 14 - Paris, FR - Bataclan (Celia)
May 17 - Aix-en-provence, FR - Grand Theatre de Provence (Celia)
May 22 - Luxembourg - Philharmonie Luxembourg (Sings! symphonic show)
May 25 - Coutances, FR - Jazz sous les Pommiers
May 28 - Bergen, NO - Grieghallen (Remain In Light)
Jun 1 - San Antonio, TX - Jo Long Theatre
Jun 8 - Los Angeles, CA - Hollywood Bowl (Celia)
Jul 6 - Kongsberg, NO - Kongsberg Jazz Festival (Sing The Truth)
Jul 9 - Stuttgart, DE - Jazzopen (Sing The Truth)
Jul 13 - Northampton, MA - Green River Festival (Remain In Light)
Jul 14 - Lowell, MA - Boarding House Park (Remain In Light)
Jul 19 - Pori, FI - Pori Jazz (Remain In Light)
Aug 2 - Crozon, FR - Festival Du Bout Du Monde (Celia)
Sep 6 - New York, NY - Madison
Square Garden (supporting Vampire Weekend)
Mar 14 - New York, NY - Carnegie Hall - Stern Auditorium
https://www.kidjo.com/
