Yewoulen (Wake Up)

Bringing together members of the Senegalese-born singer Biram Seck's Jant Band and French guitarist Thibaut Remy's London-based African-European collective Awale, the debut from the combined eight-piece offers an enticing and energetic stew of African, Latin, jazz and funk elements topped with a sizzling slice of Senegalese soul. Seck's songs are mostly sung in Wolof and his voice has a trace of Thione Seck about it.

The aesthetic, however, is determinedly pan-African; the Senegalese sabar drums so characteristic of the mbalax style of Youssou N'Dour mix with Ethio-jazz horns and the simmering propulsion of Afrobeat. Seck's theme is peace and unity in troubled times. The upbeat opener ‘Sope’ with its Fania-tinged Afro-Latin vibe, translates as ‘Love’. ‘Jeunesse’ is a lovely ballad-like plea for a better, prejudice-free future for our children and ‘Domi Adama’ (Son of Adam), with its pulsating rhythms and riffing horns, is a reminder of our common ancestry. Dakar meets Havana under the influence of World Circuit's 2010 album AfroCubism on ‘Cubalkafro’ and ‘Just Be Free’ is a ska-pop work-out sung in English and Wolof that ends up sounding like Madness jamming with Orchestra Baobab. It is an album of admirable and solid achievement, which carries the suggestion that they're probably even better live.