• 
  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 >>

Not many Afropop legends continue to record and perform into their 70s. On her latest album, Rimitti updates her sound to achieve the punch and clarity of contemporary club grooves, but she mostly remains true to the swirling, formless songs that first made her famous in the 1930s. Rimitti continues to dwell in the moody miasma of dark, smoky cafés and difficult love. On the title track, Rimitti weighs in over a driving Arabic club groove singing, "With my beloved, I will go to the top of the mountains to pick up roses and flowers." Her deep, clipped voice--powerfully expressive despite limited range--doesn't suggest a mountain climber, but it does exude tough, antiquated sensuality. On "Koum Oula Talag," a deep-toned traditional flute adorns the brooding lament of a reluctant bride: "My mother wanted the wealthy one and I wanted the beloved one."

Rimitti's songs mostly avoid pop rai's chord progressions and western verse-chorus formats, harkening back to a more primal, hypnotic aesthetic. She does turn out a couple of pop tracks, notably the fast, keyboard-driven "Mani Man," with its hook refrain, but most of these compositions are moody and static. Another rai veteran, trumpet man Bellamou Messaoud, sits in on three tracks. His clean, strong lines become that much more poignant when you consider that these two artists both collaborated and feuded famously during the 1960s. This album proves not only that Rimitti still possesses her singing and songwriting powers, but that she still knows what's hip.
Contributed by Banning Eyre for www.afropop.org