• 
  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
  
  
• 
  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.
• 
  Kiran Ahluwalia: Aam Zameen: Common Ground
  
  Indo-Canadian Songwriter Combines Folk Poetry with African Rock, Jazz and more
• 
  M.anifest: Immigrant Chronicles: Coming to America
  
  
• 
  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 >>

The Afropop classics revival trend continues with this landmark recording by the kings of African salsa, 10-piece Orchestra Baobab, with their first studio recording in fourteen years. When you consider that this band actually threw in the towel for most of the intervening years, it is quite amazing that they could come together in such exceptional form. By the time they made this recording in London, Baobab had cracked the book on their vast repertoire of songs in a series of showcase concerts. So these are not new compositions, but newly polished, crisply recorded performances of timeless musical gems, by any measure a persuasive and powerful return.

"Bul Ma Min" kicks off with chugging salsa, energized by the polyrhythmic snap of Wolof sabar music. "Sukutun" delivers the cheerful romanticism of classic African salsa. "Dée Moo Wóor" works around a slow, almost ritualistic groove, graced by psychedelic, wah-wah guitar from lead player Barthelemy Attisso, and the lucid passion of Wolof traditional vocals from Ndiouga Dieng. In just these three numbers, Baobab's broad musical vocabulary is revealed, and the pleasure continues through nine smouldering tracks.

On the sultry "Hommage à Tonton Ferrer" (an adaptation of the song "Utra Horas"), vocal improvisations by Baobab singers led by Rudy Gomis are joined by guests Youssou N'Dour and, the honoree, Ibrahim Ferrer of the Buena Vista Social Club. Ferrer's special brand of smooth is both a distinctive accent and also completely of a piece with Baobab's supremely cool sound. The song is a vocal feast.

Every aspect of this band remains strong, from Issa Cissokho's blustery, yearning tenor sax solos, to Attisso's adventurous, spunky guitar work full of jazzy chromaticism, to one of the most appealing lineups of lead singers in any band anywhere. Assane Mboup breaks your heart with his soaring high notes on the celebratory "Ndongoy Daara," and Balla Sidibe eminates passion and gravitas on the moody and resltess classic "On Verra Ça." This splendid set of songs is both an affirmation of the ongoing movement to revive classic African dance bands, and also a standard others will have to work very hard to match.

Contributed by Banning Eyre for www.afropop.org