The Best Of Ismael Lo (The Balladeer)

From the great Senegalese songmaker Ismael Lo comes this compilation, covering the span of his solo career (though somewhat regrettably, the Super Diamono days aren't represented). The album starts out with the token broken-heart song, "Dibi Dibi Rek," with its surprisingly catchy chorus. It moves on through some more acoustic work in "Talibe" and "Tadieu Bone," re-emerging with a stronger bassline and some punchy horns in "Raciste" and diving back into more somber sounds in "Rero," which speaks of the grief of separated parents. In "Taar Dousey," he introduces a vaguely Latin sound coupled with some Wolof drumming and some American quiet storm. The electronics come into their own in "Nabou" and "Xiif," followed by some acoustic work in "Lotte Lo" and a faster-paced horn and percussion-driven "Nafanta," which deals with the inevitability of death (something of a common theme in African music). A number of ballads ensue with decent emotion, broken only by the tropical "Setsinala." Finally, the album finishes on "Without Blame," a duet with Marianne Faithfull of all people. The song works surprisingly well given the expected disagreement in styles. Even so, it doesn't make much ground once Faithfull sings -- it might make it up to the level of the Dolly Parton-Ladysmith Black Mambazo duet, but that's not necessarily saying much. Despite this rough spot at the end, the album is quite good overall, showcasing a good deal of the diversity and songwriting ability of Lo and helping to show why he's considered in the same league as Youssou N'Dour as one of the greats of Senegalese music. Pick it up as a newcomer to Lo or as someone looking to fill holes in your collection. ~ Adam Greenberg|