Mogoya

The last time this reviewer interviewed Oumou Sangaré was in January 2009. She was about to release the album Seya and the date sticks in the mind for it was the day of Barack Obama's first inauguration. It was only her fourth album in a 20-year career and we've had to wait eight years for the follow-up. In that time the White House has received a scary new incumbent and Oumou has moved to a new label, after spending her entire career on World Circuit. The long absence and change of scenery seem to have done her a power of good. Mogoya remains rooted in the rich musical heritage of the Wassoulou region from which she hails. But this is also Oumou as we've never quite heard her before, for alongside the traditional African kamelengoni (lute) and calabash percussion, the sound is augmented by rock guitars, keyboards and synths, while Tony Allen guests on drums on the funky ‘Yere Faga’. This subtle but striking makeover comes courtesy of Swedish producer Andreas Unge and the crack French team of Vincent Taurelle, Ludovic Bruni and Vincent Taeger. Amid all the innovations, their smartest move of all, though, is to emphasise the raw power of Oumou's voice to create perhaps her funkiest album to date.