Saturday, June 18, 2011

Sooliman E. Rogie - African Lady (1975)

S. E. Rogie was a palm-wine and highlife guitarist from Sierra Leone who also could sing very well indeed. This album was the first he recorded during his sixteen-year tenure in the United States. Rogie's music is light and easy, and this record reminds me of cotton candy: fluffy and overly sweet. Not to say I don't like it; just that I have to be in the mood, one that comes infrequently.

Yet Rogie's voice is hard to forget, and some of his songs, like the title track, stick forever. A couple of his early hits that swept West Africa over forty years ago are collected on another record, which I might be able to offer you in the future. This one is worth a listen for the singing and guitar and the gently swinging songs. Maybe the sweetness that gets to me emanates from the back-up singers, and not from Rogie at all?
Enjoy!
You may read a biography of S.E. Rogie here.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

many thanks R.C. for Sooliman's cotton candy and all the sweets you offer...

Rhythm Connection said...

you are more than welcome, nauma. we are all so lucky to have delectables being offered us every day from this community of ours.

Wadys Mercado Silgado said...

From Colombia I give many thanks for ESTs albums that are wonderful and thank God I found this blog and hope to continue to bring to everyone is so excellent music congratulations ........

ajnabi1957 said...

wow, this is great find. thank you v much. Love Brother S.E, so look forward to this.

David said...

Thank you for this - I loved this album, and have immediately gone out & bought 2 more, so you're definitely achieving your aims both of widening our experience and supporting sales! Keep up the good work.

Anonymous said...

Had the privilege of seeing Sooliman twice in concert while I was living in London. I think it was the very early 1990's when I managed to get my squat mates to come along to the Jazz Cafe in Stoke Newington and see him with me.
They loved it and thanked me for introducing them to such lovely gentle sweet music. They had no idea what to expect.
Thank you for sharing this Album.

nicholab said...

Many thanks for this!