The Wassoulou Sound: Women Of Mali

The Wassoulou Sound, Vol. 2 isn't quite as striking as the first installment of Women of Mali, but it's still a strong collection effectively blending contemporary and traditional instruments in a pop context. The liner notes say Salif Keita and other male African vocalists have adopted arranging concepts from these artists, and Coumba Sidibe's singing on "Mougakan" is so fierce you're liable to double-check the credits to make sure Keita himself isn't singing. Vol. 2 is a little bit less of a Sidibe extended family affair -- only half of the ten tracks bear the name as opposed to six of the nine on its Women of Mali predecessor. Coumba and Sali Sidibe reprise their respective modern urban and more traditional styles, but Kagbe Sidibe may have the best single track here -- "Simbo" really gets a strong Delta blues mojo undertow working before a full-band arrangement fits over the top of that foundation and rocks seriously. The new entry, Bintou Sidibe, effectively mines the baffling tendency of Wassoulou melodies to vaguely recall some kind of Asian imperial court music -- Saran & Tata's rough, tentative "Ita Dia" generates the same sense of being able to fool people in a gamelan blindfold test. Djeneba Diakité's "Nale Nale" brings the brilliant unknown guitarist back behind her singing, but he's not quite as spellbinding this time around. Oumou Sangaré isn't included on The Wassoulou Sound, Vol. 2, but another rising star who moved on to international recognition, Nahawa Doumbia, does have one track. This is an effective companion volume to Women of Mali, mixing the modern urban with the acoustic traditional and introducing new artists to complement famed veterans. ~ Don Snowden|