Celia

Not content with simply succeeding Miriam Makeba as the new ‘Mama Africa,’ Kidjo now has her sights on the late Celia Cruz's crown as the ‘Queen of Salsa.’ I'm being mischievous of course, for to be fair Kidjo's credentials in the genre are long-established and 2003's Oyaya! in particular was a joyous journey into the African roots of Caribbean/Latin music. Here, she tackles ten songs associated with Cruz, whom the 14-year-old Kidjo first heard when the Cuban-born singer toured Africa in 1974 with Johnny Pacheco and the Fania All-Stars and performed at the warm-up concert for the Ali-Foreman ‘Rumble in the Jungle.’ Kidjo instantly connected with the African percussion and recalls that “when Celia started singing with that 6/8 feel, that's West African music, too.”

Brilliantly produced by David Donatien, this is a wonderful set, from the simmering Afrobeat of ‘Quimbara’ to the jùjú drums on ‘Yemaya’. Tony Allen drives it all with loose-limbed perfection from the drum stool and the Gangbé Brass Band from Kidjo's native Benin give the riffing salsa horns a distinctively African flavour. Kidjo is in magnificent voice throughout, and other highlights include an atmospheric take on Tito Puente's ‘Sahara’ and a banging ‘La Vida es un Carnaval’ that more than lives up to its celebratory title.