Niafunke

Twenty years ago Ali Farka Touré made an album called Niafunke, named after his home town near Timbuktu on the River Niger in Mali. Hama Sankare sang on that album as did Yoro Cisse and Afel Bocoum, who also now appear on Sankare's set of the same name. Steeped in the desert blues that were Touré's forte, Sankare marries traditional rhythms to a more contemporary rock sound. ‘Dewel Wegé’ and ‘Remobe’ are dominated by the wah-wah licks of guitarist Oumar Konate to the point of overkill, yet it's not all wigged-out pyrotechnics. The hypnotic ‘Tiega Mali’ has a slower, Touareg-style groove and ‘Ndjarro’ is a traditional hunter's song, as raw and earthy as it gets with ngoni and njarka (single-string fiddle) to the fore.

Elsewhere, if you added a female voice to ‘Foulbé’ or ‘Yer Kur Ti Afo’ you might think they were leftovers from an Amadou & Mariam album, although Sankare's resonant, muscular voice makes them his own. ‘Baba Gomni’ is a praise song notable for a striking spoken word dedication by Bocoum. ‘Solane’ is different again with a light, Afro-pop vibe before the album runs out of steam, ending with ‘Cherie’. Solid rather than spectacular, but there's still much to admire here.