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CD Review
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Philadelphia Weekly, CD Review >>
Issa Bagayogo has made one of the best world-music albums of the year--and one highly likely to appeal to a broad audience. The Mali native tried for years to make it as a traditional musician, playing the six-string kamele n'goni. But it was his partnership with French electronica producers that made his career: The mix of his folk instrument and pulsing, highly produced beats brought him a huge audience. This album, his third, is the ultimate realization of his singular blend of ancient West African music and modern techno. Tracks like "Numu" mix deep-voiced chanting with female background singers in a sort of call-and-response, but with the addition of electric guitar, shimmering synth claps and cymbals, it's like a clubby mashup of John Lee Hooker and Zuco 103. Other songs bring in acoustic piano or flute, and the female voices call to mind Les Nubians, whose music is catchy and worldly in similar ways. You can dance to this--sexy hip-swaying is definitely called for--or simply listen with headphones to the complex layering of beats and instruments. A (Liz Spikol) 07/28/04
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