The Rough Guide to the Music of West Africa

This latest update to the Rough Guide series of explorations of West African music serves as a useful reminder of some of the excellent releases from the Riverboat Records label. As a broad West African compilation, there is a strong bias towards the Francophonic countries (Mali, Guinea and Senegal) rather than the Anglophonic nations of Ghana and Nigeria. This means that there is plenty of the griot, or djeli, style of music, with its plaintive ngoni, kora and guitar backing, rather than the more jaunty guitar and horn sounds of highlife. Senegal's Nuru Kane plays his Gnawa-influenced music with a Moroccan gimbri (bass lute), while Guinean legend Mory Kanté excels on the kora and balafon track ‘Mama’ – which is nearly as infectious as his old ‘Yéké Yéké' hit. Malian guitarist Samba Touré is a protegé of Ali Farka Touré and, aside from Mory Kanté, is probably the most successful of the artists on offer here.
The desolate desert electric blues guitar style is also in evidence on this compilation from powerful Touareg band Etran Finatawa. There is just one vintage track, a gem from the 1970s, and it comes from Nigerian novelty artist Victor Uwaifo – it's highlife but with splendidly outrageous psychedelic guitar. This is an excellent and varied selection.