Kidjo Pushes Rhythmic Groove to New Level on ‘Oremi’

***ANGELIQUE KIDJO

“Oremi”

Island

Kidjo’s continuing quest to tear down the walls of musical differences around the world surges into high speed in this rhythmically heated new outing. The Beninoise diva established her willingness to use whatever musical elements she pleased in her 1994 album, “Aye.” And “Oremi,” which means “my friend,” pushes the envelope even further, adding a brilliantly complex tapestry of vocal sounds to the persistent, infectious rhythmic grooves of her earlier work.

The tunes scatter styles in every direction via carefully crafted production. Some particularly appealing examples: Kidjo does a soulful duet with Kelly Price on the R&B; ballad “Open Your Eyes.” She adds Branford Marsalis’ driving saxophone solos to the background of “Itche Koutche” and suddenly shifts out of the roaring techno-groove sound with “Loloye,” a lovely acoustic ballad. On “Never Know” she strikes up a stunning partnership with Cassandra Wilson, juxtaposing her Fon/English vocals against Wilson’s darkly insinuating scat singing.

Kidjo describes “Oremi” as the first part of a potential trilogy “exploring the African heritage in American music.” Not a bad description for an album that deals with both aspects of that equation with convincing fluency.

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