Nagtaba

Kandy Guira is an Ivory Coast-born singer and dancer from Burkina Faso, an erstwhile member of the supergroup Les Amazones d’Afrique, and a charismatic, politically informed performer due international stardom. Having defied parental demands to pursue a life in music, she’s been Paris-based for several years, her backing vocals gracing work by Oumou Sangaré, Cheick Tidiane Seck, Esperanza Spalding and the late Manu Dibango. Guira’s 2019 EP Tek-La-Runda (‘Take the Reins’) was a statement of intent on which this debut delivers.

Nagtaba means ‘Together’ in Dioula, and the album is both a rallying call for female solidarity and a plea for global understanding, underpinned by a mix of traditional Burkinabé rhythms such as warba and wiire and electro-pop. Guitars, keys and West African instruments are woven with found sounds and ambient effects, with the resulting brew all the more irresistible for Guira’s superb, tremolo-flecked voice. Opener ‘Wasindi’ sets out her stall, with lyrics in Mooré (her mother tongue), Dioula and English telling of battles overcome; while tracks such as the feel-good ‘Pagbatem’ and French-sung ‘Équilibre’ roll out at a cracking pace. Features from Burkinabé singer/songwriter Alif Naaba and Haitian-Canadian saxophonist Jowee Omicil add cachet, not that any is needed. A gorgeous, accomplished record.