I Speak Fula

My, how Bassekou Kouyate has grown since his solo debut. Touring with several big Western acts and alone has certainly helped, but there's a real sense of assurance and outright confidence about this disc, as he's moved from a fairly raw sense of desert blues -- unusual inasmuch as it was all played on ngoni lutes -- to something that's far more extroverted, and at times, pure rock & roll as he looses off solos that are gratifyingly electric (even with a mild touch of wah-wah here and there). Ngoni Ba has fully gelled as a group, and the guests add to the experience, especially such eminences as Toumani Diabaté (who adds his ethereal kora to two tracks) or Vieux Farke Touré, who plays a subordinate role on the two cuts where he appears. Many of the lead vocals are handled by Kouyate's wife, Amy Sacko, who is earthy and powerful, but Kouyate himself is the star of the show, always in control, and with true star presence throughout. While sounding completely West African, this is an album that draws on Western flourishes in a way that can make it very accessible to ears that wouldn't normally listen closely to African music. That -- along with the superb music it contains -- makes it a very important disc indeed.