Melokáane

Born in Senegal but resident in Canada for the past 20 years, percussionist Elage Diouf has toured the world with Cirque du Soleil, providing the beats behind the troupe’s Delirium show. His first solo album Aksil was released in Canada in 2010 but this follow-up is his first recording to get an international release. Singing in a warm and soulful voice and driving the songs with his own virtuosic African percussion, it’s essentially a mix of Youssou-styled Wolof rhythms and soft rock, best illustrated by his rather affecting cover of Peter Gabriel’s ‘Secret World’, the piano ballad ‘Just One Day’, a duet with the Canadian rock singer Johnny Reid, and the galloping pop-rap of the football anthem ‘Foula ak Fayda’.

There’s a retro feel to much of the album musically and Diouf’s themes are often historical – the first track is dedicated to Nelson Mandela and features a recording of his voice, while the reggae-tinged ‘Sankara’ is about the struggle for African independence from the colonial powers. It’s an engaging slice of diasporic Afro-pop, beautifully played and handsomely produced, but ultimately less than essential.