Moytou

UK-based Senegalese dancer-turned-singer Batch Gueye had a very promising first album, Ndiarigne, back in 2014, and has been a key element of the forward-thinking Afro-futurist jazz group Fofoulah. His solo work has gone downhill since then, though, and Moytou feels like a shadow of what he is capable of. Where that first album managed to alternate between hard-hitting and raw and delicate and emotional, here, the moods seem to have been smoothed out into a middle-of-the-road mbalax-lite.

Gueye is at his best when he surrounds his soulful, high-pitched Wolof vocals around the polyrhythms of sabar and tama drums and guitars, but too often here he falls back on an over-reliance on uninteresting synths, pads and beats. There are some good ideas and impressive singing, but the whole thing has a poor execution, uninspiring and lacking in the fun energy that should be coursing through it all. The track ‘Waye Wi’ stands out as a high point, and offers a glimpse at the quality that could reasonably be expected throughout.

Overall, a missed opportunity from Gueye – some shining moments amid a generally disappointing album with little to set it apart from the crowd. I want the old Batch back!