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