Donso: Donso

Donso
Donso
Comet
2010-06-10

The relationship between France and its old colonies in West Africa has been a bountiful one, musically speaking — a brilliant one, in fact, and good news for the rest of us, regaled as we are with its juices, fruits and wonders. Anyway, here we are again, this time with a French producer who teamed up with a local French percussionist (the percussionist lived upstairs) and a couple of Malians (singers and n’goni players) and together they produced this album, Donso. The result is indigenous Malian music done in a house mix style, a smart reinterpretation, constantly simmering — strings turning over, men singing, the djembe going. The whole thing rushes and bounces along without any particular climax. Ballake Sissoko steps in briefly on his kora and the album has a happy-kora feel overall, golden and intricate.

RATING 6 / 10