Siniensigui

Hailing from Côte d’Ivoire and descended from Malian griots, Dembele has become a central figure in Britain’s West African diaspora, working with the RSC and the Royal Ballet among others. It’s easy to see why he’s in such demand, for on Siniensigui he reveals himself to be an all-purpose African one-man band, playing kamalengoni, djembé, calabash and other assorted percussion, bells and shakers as well as singing in a powerful baritone with a soulful, keening edge. The opener ‘Tama (The Journey) (feat Mariatou Dembele and Abel Selaocoe)’ sums up everything that’s best about the album, a free-flowing melody rooted in Mande tradition with ngoni and djembé augmented by flute, violin and cello, played by Selaocoe. In contrast, ‘Den Ni Fah (Father and Son)’ is a raw, stripped-down duet between Sidiki’s djembé and the ngoni of Yacouba Dembele, his father.