Ukumbu.KE (CD) / Nina Ogot

Nina Ogot's new release Ukumbu.KE is a compact nine-track album with a fresh appeal. Sparkling guitars, easily grooving percussions and melodic-jolly horns complement one another perfectly with the competently recited verses of the Kenyan whose unique vocal timbre shows a brilliant advantage.

Ukumbu.KE tells of the singer's old and recent memories, personalised cultural moments: Nearly forgotten traditional music and tales, memorable movies, legendary TV maestros, all kinds of images come back to life in her songs – and on the CD cover, Nina Ogot presents herself humorously as a cartoon character travelling back into her past.

On Ukumbu.KE Ogot shows how memories shape even the modern Kenyan society. She reinforces the cultural root while making references to traditional music: Taarab and Bango melodies from Kenya's coast, percussive Isukuti of the Luhya and the spiritual Dodo rythms of the Luo people.

Nina Ogot recorded Ukumbu.KEE in her hometown Nairobi in order to capture the authentic Kenyan vibe. Her horn section, arranged and recorded in Germany, is the disctinct international note on this record. The singer, who is also the composer of all the songs, has chosen a less experimental and more resolute style of arrangements.