• 
  KG Omulo: Ayah Ye!: Moving Train
  
  A synergy of funk, rock, reggae and traditional African sounds from this inventive, young singer/songwriter.
• 
  Various Artists: Chief Boima Presents: Lone Stars - Hipco and Gbema
  
  
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  Mamadou Diabaté: Courage
  
  Mamadou Diabate, the kora master, takes a fresh look at Mali instrumental music with his new CD Courage.
• 
  Various Artists: The Kankobela of the Batonga, Vol. 2
  
  Mysterious melodies from a disappearing thumb piano tradition of Southern Africa.
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  Kiran Ahluwalia: Aam Zameen: Common Ground
  
  Indo-Canadian Songwriter Combines Folk Poetry with African Rock, Jazz and more
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  M.anifest: Immigrant Chronicles: Coming to America
  
  
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  Sona Jobarteh: FASIYA
  
  West African female kora virtuoso releases an album full of grace, warmth, and passion.
• 
  Sia Tolno: My Life
  
  Kissi singer releases a strong second album full of pop-infused star power over songs of strife and triumph.
• 
  Zieti: Zemelewa
  
  Eclectic blend of Afro-infused pop out of Cote d'Ivoire.
• 
  Guelewar: Halleli N Dakarou
  
  Re-released and remastered live CD from this 80's experimental Senegambian outfit.
• 
  Tinariwen: Tassili
  
  Touareg desert legends return with an offering that is meandering, sorrowful and proud.
• 
  Los Rakas: Chancletas y Camisetas Bordada
  
  Oakland/Panamanian rappers -call it "Panabay"-- return with good results.
• 
  Cheikh Lo: Jamm
  
  The unique Senegalese singer and multi-instrumentalist crafts an eclectically excellent record.
• 
  David Rudder: Random Notes
  
  Calypsonian David Rudder returns with an album that covers various styles with excellent results.

All Reviews >>

Houssaine Kili presents himself as a cultural bridge builder, seeking ways to marry the American 70s pop he grew up on--from James Brown to Neil Young--with Moroccan roots music. As difficult as that may sound, Kili's second international release is nothing short of a revelation. His powerful voice manages the husky angst of rai ("Mountain to Mohamed"), the searing cry of gnawa and Berber traditional singing ("Shouafa" and "Attan"), the toughness of rap ("Salamoualeikoum"), and even the soulful falsetto of his boyhood hero Neil Young on a moody, Arabized cover of "Cowgirl in the Sand."

Kili's Moroccan and German band really kicks. In place of the falseness of keyboards and electronics that color so much music from the Middle East and North Africa, we get a seamless blend of acoustic and electric guitars, oud, violin, and a variety of percussion instruments. In place of bass, Kili delivers the warm thunder of the Gnawa guimbri, as sound that proves muscular enough to drive rockers like "Fanan" (The Artist) and James Brown-esque funk like "Kfaya" (It's Enough). The variety of styles reveals such confidence and fluency. "Lalla Fatima" is a restless, passionate cover of a song by Moroccan shaabi star Hamid Zahir. "Nelgak" (I Will Find You), a song inspired by the pain Kili's sister experienced upon the death of her husband, transforms deep gnawa music into seductive pop. Kili rates as one of the great Afropop discoveries of 2001.

Contributed by Banning Eyre for www.afropop.org