Sika Mila

Mayotte became the 101st department of France in 2011, but located between Madagascar and the coast of Mozambique, the archipelago's culture is closer to that of the nearby independent Comoros islands. M'Toro Chamou attempts to preserve some of the Mahoran tradition while incorporating modern sounds and recording technology – a musical fusion that he calls Afro m'godro rock. The rhythms m'godro, shigoma and chengue are performed with a backing of traditional percussion (taris and n'goma), accompanied by electric guitars, banjo and harmonica.

There is some fine musicianship on display here – Chamou is an excellent guitarist, a passionate vocalist, and he has a tight backing band of musicians from La Réunion. At times the rock influence tends to overshadow the admirable efforts to preserve his home island's musical heritage. It's an understandable compromise, but it is the tracks with acoustic guitar and banjo that reflect the music of Mayotte more accurately than the urban rock riffs of the electric guitar.