Le Bal de l’Afrique Enchantée

All the ingredients are there to make this album a joyous romp through African classics that have shaped generations of the continent's musicians and their followers. Eleven seasoned artists are led by singer Ballou Canta and accomplished conductor Christophe Cagnolari across songs which transformed Africa's social and cultural landscapes from the 1960s onwards, aided by two MCs whose joint knowledge of African musical folklore stretches back for decades. Between 2006 and 2015 these two masters of this particular ball, Vladimir Cagnolari and Soro Solo, did much to bring popular African music into French households with their weekly show L’Afrique Enchantée on Radio France Inter. But there was always an uncomfortably patronising tone to the programme, which unfortunately spills over into the didactic elements of this album.

Layered with good intentions, the duo simplify the complex, sometimes tortured, creativity of the likes of Bembeya Jazz, Mayimona Manguana and Fela Kuti, creating a playful joust that heaps ridicule on the honourable desire to make us dance our preoccupations away. Connoisseurs will learn little and neophytes need to be well-versed in the language of Voltaire to understand the lessons shared by uncles Vlad and Solo, with ‘la nièce’ Hortense tagging faithfully behind.