Dougna

A former singer with the Guinean all female band Les Amazones de Guinée, Sayon Bamba certainly doesn’t lack spirit. She’s young, strong and outspoken, and these songs are quite a lot to take in, with dense rhythms and powerful vocals covering a wide range of topics from female genital mutilation to the Chernobyl nuclear disaster. They are more easily enjoyed in short bursts; this 15-track album can seem like quite a mountain to climb.

That said, there are some pleasantly straightforward songs here, like the upbeat ‘Nin’ka’ with its tinkling balafon (xylophone) and ‘Aborongo’, a jolly song about dancing that has something sonically in common with the palm wine songs of Sierra Leone. It is no coincidence that one of her songs, ‘Kilimandjaro’, is a homage to Miriam Makeba – she has that total strength and self-conviction which shows through in her voice. But she mostly brings to mind a young Angélique Kidjo from the early 90s, and while retro synth beats and cheesy disco-pop was fine back then, it just sounds dated now. The French chanson-tinged ‘L’Amour c’est Show’ is a step too far: the style just doesn’t go with the balafon, whichever way you mix it up.