Plastic Man

The British-based Senegalese singer, kora player and percussionist Amadou Diagne and American-in-Paris guitarist Cory Seznec recorded Plastic Man at Real World with an Arts Council grant. Calling themselves Touki – it means ‘journey’ in Wolof – it’s essentially a global folk album fusing African and Appalachian styles, often in thrilling fashion. The duo sing in contrasting styles, Diagne’s voice offering a gritty, husky counterpoint to Seznec’s light, attractive baritone – but it’s the instrumental interplay that really grabs the attention. Nowhere is this more evident than on the scintillating ‘Wenchi Breakdown’, as backwoods banjo, African percussion and Endris Hassen’s Ethiopian masenqo (one-stringed bowed lute) tumble over each other in breakneck fashion. Hassen then repeats the trick on ‘Diallo Djeri’, a tune with a deep, bluesy vibe. On ‘La-Hi-La-Ha’ and ‘Tellem Dreams’ scratchy West African grooves combine with the fiddle playing of Duncan Wickel, the title-track is ‘an mbalax-inspired homage to climate activist Modou Fall’ and ‘Wounded Bird Fly Again’ is an acoustic guitar tune rooted in East Africa’s finger-picking omutibo style. The approach is simplicity itself – and yet there are enough inventive ideas here to fill not just one but several albums.