Kuma

The niece of ngoni maestro Bassekou, Kankou Kouyaté first came to our attention as part of Damon Albarn's Africa Express on the collective's 2013 album Maisons des Jeunes. Kuma (‘Words’ in Bamana) appears to be her first solo album and is the result of a two-year collaboration with the Scottish producer Mark Mulholland, who has also worked with Rachid Taha and Afel Bocoum. The combination of Kankou's deep, throat voice and Mulholland's pristine pop production and ringing guitar-playing is nigh on irresistible.

The opener ‘Sigi’ is one of the more African-sounding tracks, a slow-burning, Bamana electric blues with an Oumou Sangaré-type lyric protesting the indignity of forced marriage. ‘Da’ is an exquisitely sung Gaelic-sounding folk tune transported from Skye to Ségou. The title-track is a jangling slice of African psych-folk and ‘Bin’ is a potent guitar and harmonica acoustic blues on which Kankou sounds like Mali's answer to Memphis Minnie. Elsewhere the lilting folk-rocker ‘Obadya’ evokes Sandy Denny and Fairport Convention, while ‘Ne Bi Fe’ is a cross between Eagle-Eye Cherry's ‘Save Tonight’ and Wasis Diop and Lena Figabe's ‘African Dream’. All of which are plus points, by the way, contributing to one terrific Afro-pop album.