La Différence
Salif Keita
Emarcy

The “Golden Voice of Africa” is a little less burnished than it once was, but has lost none of its subtle expressiveness. It’s inevitable that La Différence invites comparisons to a younger Keita though, given that the now 60-year-old chose to include several songs he’s previously recorded. But once you get past that there’s much to enjoy, notably the dreamy layering of (mostly) acoustic instruments, a discreet setting created by string section and fine musicians including guitarists Kante Manfila and Djelly Moussa Kouyate (and on one track, Bill Frisell). Still, it’s true there aren’t a lot of surprises here for fans well versed in Keita unplugged; they’ll just have to make do with the familiar. As the familiar also happens to be quite beautiful, that’s not so bad. Li Robbins