Change

This kora- and balafon-playing singer-songwriter from Guinea is best known for his dashing presence within the ranks of Afro Celt Sound System. Change is his fifth solo album, and finds him now referring to his music as ‘Afrotronix’. This effectively means that the African instruments are matched with rather dated synth sounds. He has a pleasant tenor voice and sings in Malinké, Soussou, Pular, French and English, though the songs in the last two reveal a tendency towards platitudes. He wants change from the world around him, but also from the man in his mirror.

Both ‘Vente d’Armes’ and ‘Hope’ have serious messages – the sale of arms and the scourge of HIV respectively – but both are undermined by lightweight Afropop melodies and some rather trite lyrics. ‘Heroes’ is a slow reggae number on the theme of human rights, while ‘Dominimba’ pitches into breakneck techno. Change is at its best on the mellower numbers like ‘Tunya’ and ‘Parole’, which ride lovely pulsing rhythms and showcase N’Faly’s easy gift for memorable riffs and grooves.