A Guide to the Birdsong of Western Africa

Following two volumes, the first in South America, and the second spanning Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean, Shika Shika have turned to Western Africa for a third instalment in their series, which raises money for bird conservation by asking artists to write a song inspired by an endangered bird.

They’ve put together an enviable line-up: Les Mamans du Congo & Rrobin continuing the ebullient collaboration that saw them gain many fans for their debut album last year; Wau Wau Collectif & Lamine Cissokho concocting a spontaneous groove out of kora and flutes aplenty; Vieux Farka Touré impeccable as always on a desert blues tip and Osei Korankye surprising on a sincere paean to an owl with his seperewa (harp) leading the way. Yet, whereas the Latin American compilations found a formula through bringing together folk and folktronica artists, this album struggles to do the same, with the overtly electronic tracks – Sensei Lo & Funmi’s minimal house, a very trancy effort from Buruntuma and DJ Marfox’s grimy batida beats – feeling at odds with the others, the switch between urban and rural too vast. Which is a shame, as it’s so close to being an expertly-compiled document of contemporary Western African music, as well as a worthy cause.