This is Malian superstar Habib Koite's first album in six years, and it's worth the wait. Koite's seductive tenor --strong and gentle with just a touch of grit in it -- wafts gracefully over hypnotic grooves drawn from a variety of Malian cultures. Koite doesn't dominate a song with a huge voice. Instead, he sets it off to its best advantage with clear and direct singing and understated embellishment. The melody and message are front and center.

His translucent tone lets the multilayered arrangements shine through, too. His vocals are wed to the lilting pulse of interlocking balafon, talking drum, n'goni (a Malian lute), and guitar. Occasionally, touches from the West appear along side the Malian instrumentation. Former James Brown sideman Pee Wee Ellis contributes a horn arrangement on the title track, and harmonica adds a blues touch to the instrumental, "Fimani."

Koite is a fine guitarist, capable of finger picking the most complex patterns with utter ease, but he's never a showboater. The guitar is just one more layer in the ebbing and flowing ensemble. However well integrated the voice and instrumental are, somehow Koite's heartfelt singing manages to make the deepest impression. His emotional range is as wide as his voice is subtle. His singing is as ardent as a prayer on "N'Teri," swelled with pride on "Afriki," and teasingly humorous on "Massake," To top it all off, the songwriting is uniformly superb, with melodies and hooks that lodge in your memory and won't fade away. "Namania," Mali Ba," N'Teri" and "Massake" are all destined for heavy rotation on your iPod.

By Ed Hazell