Treasure from the Ivory Coast

Apr 29, 2009 at 4:00 am

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It's seductively easy to romanticize Dobet Gnahoré. She's young, she's beautiful and she hails from the exotic Ivory Coast, a poetically-named land that sounds like something from a fairy tale. Singing in a selection of African languages (Bété, Fon, Baoule, Malinke and several others) and backed by French guitarist Colin Laroche de Féline, Gnahoré sounds like she comes from another planet, not merely another country. Her voice is vibrant and beautiful, and the mysterious vowel-laden syllables sound like birdsong, making everything fresh- and happy-sounding — the perfect early summer show. Dobet Gnahoré brings her sinuous Pan-African rhythms to the Touhill Performing Arts Center (1 University Drive at Natural Bridge Road; 314-516-4949 or www.touhill.org) for a single 7:30 p.m. show. Tickets are $7 to $15.
Wed., May 6, 2009