MP3 Heather Maxwell - Afrika Soul

Completely original music. A new, female voice in World, Jazz, Neo soul, and Afro Pop. Songs in English, Bambara, and French roll out, one by one, in melodies and rhythms that surprise and groove.

11 MP3 Songs in this album (49:09) !
Related styles: World: Afro-Pop, Jazz: World Fusion, Solo Female Artist

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Details:
Ashanti Boy tr.1
Inspired from love and life in Ghana, the singer dedicates this song to an Ashanti boy that she still loves but can never be with. Wonderful bright vocals with strong Ashanti, West African rhythm, melody, call & response, and Afro pop spirit. English/Twi lyrics.
Digital Recording, up-tempo dance beat, featuring dynamic lead vocal, female chorus, keys, electric guitar, drums and timbale solo, electric bass.
Words & Music by Heather Maxwell

Malado tr.2
A Malian amulet (gri-gri) filled with black magic powder called âMaladoâ is the subject of this song. âMaladoâ is a love potion and the singer talks to it, plotting and pleading with it to work its magic well and âcast your spell of love on that man I want.â English/Bambara lyrics.
Digital recording, medium fast tempo. Featuring Malian guitar (kamalen nâgoni), spoken Bambara incantation, lead female vocal and chorus, guitar solo, bass, drums, timbale. Words & Music by Heather Maxwell

Boloci tr. 3
A song for mothers. âMothers, please vaccinate your children.â Inspired by the urgent need to educate mothers on the necessity of vaccinting their babies, the song uses traditional proverbs and culture-specific arguments to motivate action and improved infant mortality rates. Bambara lyrics.
Digital recording, Up beat tempo, traditional Malian guitar (Kamalen nâgoni), calabash (gitan), vocal style (ululations), melody and call & response. Pentatonic key. Bass, guitar, and drums. Wassolu style.
Words & Music by Heather Maxwell

Surrender tr.4
A dreamy fantasy about what one sees and feels when one surrenders the fight for life to the afterlife. âRainbows all around me, everywhere I turn, thatâs all I see.â Bambara/English lyrics
Digital recording, reggae. A sweet Malian folk melody in 6/8 weaves in and out of the 4/4 reggae melody. Features, female lead vocals, female chorus, guitar solo, keys, guitar, drums. Words & Music by Heather Maxwell

Orphanâs Lullaby tr.5
A young teen sits in a hopeless, filthy, refugee camp in Sudan, dreaming of the day she gets out and lives a pleasant, happy life. She imagines a woman coming to the camp to adopt and choosing her. She hears the lullaby that this dream-mother will one day sing to her and hums it among the ruins and the rubble. French and English lyrics.
Digital recording, medium tempo, neo soul. Features full female chorus of resonant harmonies, Rhtyhmic, African hand-clapping, and melancholy guitar solo.
Words & Music by Heather Maxwell

Canât Take My Man tr.6
A boastful love song aimed at all the women who try to get her desirable man. All of their efforts and antics are in vain, she sings, because she knows that she has exactly what he wants. lyrics to a classic East Africa Taarab song, Chozi Lanitoka.
Digital recording. Catchy and exotic groove. Lead female vocal, female chorus, guitar/bass unison grooves and riffs. Exotic sound with pulsating dance beat.
Words by Heather Maxwell

Keneya Ji tr.7
Instrumental version.
Digital recording. Live session quality. Afropop/funk. Drums, percussion, bass, guitar, and kamalen nâgoni. A riff based, high energy, funky, groovy tune. Pentatonic mode. Modern Mande sound. Words & Music by Heather Maxwell

Bitter Taste tr.8
This song tells the story of a womanâs recent experiences in failed love affairs. A rich man that is âall frosting no cakeâ, a younger man that cheats on her with her Brazilian neighbor, and more. They all leave her with a bitter taste, yet her chorus of West African style back up singers remind her that she should loosen up because âHey, sister, hatinâ donât pay.â English lyrics.
Digital Recording, neo-soul, features voice and female chorus, jazz piano solo, electric guitar, drums and percussion, electric bass.
Words & Music by Heather Maxwell

Get Along tr.9
A single motherâs prayer to God to simply allow her to âget alongâ. Raising a child alone is no easy feat. But with Godâs help and earnest work, it can be done. Du courage, mothers! English lyrics.
Digital recording, bright tempo, live R&B/jazz session. Lead female vocals. Guitar solo, keys, electric bass, drums.
Words & Music by Heather Maxwell

Dusu Yo tr.10
A song for mothers. âMothers, please vaccinate your children.â Inspired by the urgent need to educate mothers on the necessity of vaccinting their babies, the song uses traditional proverbs and culture-specific arguments to motivate action and improved infant mortality rates. Bambara lyrics.
Digital recording, Up beat tempo, traditional Malian guitar (Kamalen nâgoni), calabash (gitan), vocal style (ululations), melody and call & response. Pentatonic key. Bass, guitar, and drums. Wassolu style.
Words & Music by Heather Maxwell

African Women tr.11
A tribute to African women for their hard work and contributions toward stopping deforestation. They build new stoves in Mali that conserve firewood, and slow the process of denuding the precious forests. English, French and Bamabara lyrics.
Digital recording, 2-part dance tune. Bright tempo. Traditional pentatonic balafon, vocal style (ululations), melody and call & response with male/female chorus. Bass, guitar, jazz keys, drums and percussion. Style hints of Fela Kuti. Words & Music by Heather Maxwell

Heather Maxwell is a native of Flint, Michigan. She has a Ph.D. and an M.A. in Ethnomusicology, and a BA in Music and Anthropology. Ms. Maxwell has taught at several US and African Universities, and continues to perform world wide.