DOBET GNAHORE – Singer Dancer Percussionist

The featured artist, Dobet Gnahore, from Cote d’Ivoire, is an immensely talented singer who plays several percussion instruments; is an amazing dancer, performer and entertainer. Though her songs are steeped in social and political comment and socially relevant messages, the energy generated by her music is electrifying and absorbing! The melody and fervour of her songs; their passion and spirit, drew the audience to the music like a heavy magnet, and compelled the listeners to dance and sing along. The audience couldn’t help but to boogie, shimmy, shake and stomp their feet in response to the music. That was how affecting the music was!

     The music of singer, Dobet Gnahore could be described as African music, probably music influenced by the traditional music of Cote d’Ivoire, fused with rock, funk, and a rich mix of African grooves and rhythms. 

     The band accompanying the singer was a seemingly ordinary group of Guitar, Bass, and Drums, until they began to play. Then you could hear that they were all individually advanced musicians on their instruments yet they gelled like a single organism.

     The concert began with a deep yet pleasing voice being heard, which filled the venue with a distinctive tone and timbre, a rich brew of a voice - mature and expressive, warm and powerful. One looked for where the voice came from, and then one saw the singer walking on to the stage; young, slim and striking; she held our attention with her voice and vocal expression, despite our ignorance of the language she sang in; She was joined on stage by the rest of the musicians and completed the song, after which she explained in English that the song was about money, because "money has taken over the world; money has destroyed people's minds." She is a multi lingual singer and though one didn’t understand the words, we all (the audience) just loved her music.

   The next song which she announced in English was dedicated to her mother, and the next to her grandmother. She also sang a song dedicated to her country, a song called Cote d’Ivoire, and another song on deforestation. Another, to women who fight for a better world, and in one song, which I think was dedicated to the joy of childhood, a little four year old girl came on to the stage and danced without inhibition, to the amusement of all; especially the singer, who danced with the girl. Amongst the last songs that she sang, she said, was called ‘I’m Tired’, she explained “I am tired with politics in my country. I’m tired with politics in the world.

    I can only aspire to describe in words, the dance that punctuated her performance and emphasised the intensity of her convictions. Her dance itself, true to African tradition, was communication. Her dancing expressed her emotions; joy and optimism. Her dancing was energetic and complex, passionate and graceful, full of supple movement, high leaps - both legs spread wide, rapid twirls, swaying on her haunches, rippling, contracting and releasing her body with all the grace of a true dancer; she used the whole stage at times. Her dancing was breathtaking. Her performance was an aural and visual spectacle.   

    The drummer, from Togo, was a magician of rhythm; and though he played a conventional drum set, what set him apart from conventional drummers was his intrinsic African ability to widen the scope of rhythm, by modernising indigenous rhythms; playing contrasting rhythm patterns; juxtaposing two different rhythms at once, and weaving an intricate, immaculate garment of rhythm and sound as a backdrop to the melodies. 

    The bass player playing an electric bass guitar was excellent, he played the bass sometimes as a lead instrument while he indulged in occasional explorations, but, his playing always gave a solid foundation to the music, and provided a very good intermediate sound and support to the drummer and guitarist during their interludes and sustained a steady backing to the singer.

    The guitar player was a Frenchman Colin Laroche, Dobet's companion, collaborator and co-composer in her music. He plays the electric guitar, but the delicate sound and style of play approximates a mix of the flamenco guitar, delta blues and African folk lute. The guitar is played so that every note is played to be heard in a typical order, chords are seldom struck, and the guitar keeps up a continuous backing melody which we can conclude is typically West African. The style is simple, but as we all know, to attain simplicity in sound and melody or in anything we do, it requires talent, skill, desire, discipline and hard work. So we can surmise that the guitar players’ sound and style was like a traditional African stringed instrument.

   The band and the singer were one consistent, unified, music producing unit of a high quality. They were made for each other. The bass player and guitar player harmonised and sang very close seconds to Dobet’s lead vocal, on many songs. 

   The evening with Dobet Gnahore ended too soon. She had managed with her stage presence; her great singing and rich voice to make the audience sing and dance. She varied her style of singing, at one point yodeling a riff and making the audience yodel along, the audience participated with zest and delight. A certain section of the audience danced throughout the performance, at every song; some of the dancers were so emboldened as to climb on to the stage and dance, which was also good humouredly enjoyed by the musicians.

    The evening ended with only happy faces to be seen everywhere. That’s what music’s ultimate aim is. To make people happy! To make people sing and dance! And that’s what the music of Dobet Gnahore and her band did! 

 Taj Banjara, Hyderabad 8^th January 2010