Na Kitabo

The scion of a long line of griots and kora (harp-lute) virtuosi from Casamance in southern Senegal, Kadialy Kouyaté is now resident in London. He appeared in a Royal Shakespeare Company production of Julius Caesar in 2012 and in the recent remake of the TV series Roots, based on Alex Haley's book. He has also recorded with Baaba Maal and served in the ranks of Afro Celt Sound System. His second solo album Na Kitabo (My Book) is steeped in Mande traditional music but has been given a contemporary pop flair. If his voice lacks the soulfulness of Baaba Maal or Youssou N’Dour, it's still a sturdily attractive instrument on a set of songs that address such universal subjects as love, peace, respect, the importance of family and destiny.

His kora ripples and thrills in all the right places, often in duet with the guitar of Gregory Sanders-Gallego (who plays with the UK-based Latin music band Wara). The intricate mesh of kora and guitar strings betrays the influence of Toumani Diabaté and Ali Farka Toure's collaboration on In the Heart of the Moon and although the album breaks no new ground, it ploughs a familiar furrow with admirable skill and precision.