Devla Devla

Dikanda are a superb Balkan and Gypsy band from Poland who have been active more than 20 years, since winning first prize at Warsaw's New Tradition festival in 1999. Their secret weapon is undoubtedly their lead singer Anna Witczak-Czerniawska, who has clearly modelled herself on the late Esma Redžepova and, although ethnically Polish, is a powerful singer in Romani. She's backed by violin, trumpet, guitar, double bass and percussion.

Aside from concerts in Europe, Dikanda have performed in Dhaka, Bangladesh and at the International Nomads Festival in M'Hamid El Ghizlane, Morocco. It was here that they encountered a couple of Moroccan musicians, Mustafa El Boudani and Abdou Ouardi, who are guests on this album, bringing a distinctive taste of the Sahara to ‘Africa Zina’, one of the most successful tracks. What I miss on the album, though, is the energy and carefree abandon as they throw themselves into live performances I've seen in Romania and Hungary. As is so often the case, the record isn't as good as the real thing.