The Rough Guide to the Music of Senegal

Senegal's very rich seam of musical styles and voices are well represented in this attractively packaged collection. There are standout tracks by several of the big names, notably Africando All Stars and the inimitable Thione Seck. ‘Baydikacce’ is vintage Baaba Maal with the freshness and vigour of his early yela-inspired repertoire. ‘Thiely’ was the first of Étoile de Dakar's songs featuring Youssou N'Dour to be played on the radio. Ismael Lo's plaintive ballad ‘Talibè’ with its haunting harmonica solo and sad storyline about exploited children, nicely rounds off the album. Acoustic tracks, such as those by Ousmane Hamady Diop, Mansour Seck and Amadou Diagne provide pleasant interludes before gritty young rapper Sister Fa proudly defends her patch in what is a predominantly male arena. Talented young kora player Diabel Cissokho acknowledges his family roots on ‘Senegal-Mali’ and there are further echoes of Malian music in the subtle arrangements of Cheikh Lo's opener ‘Jamm’ Some exceptional musicianship goes disappointingly uncredited in the sleeve notes, although the bravura saxophone of Orchestra Baobab's Issa Cissokho and Barthélemy Attiso's guitar wizardry are unmistakable.

The bonus CD by the Fulani artist Daby Balde, who hails from the southern region, rates less well overall. But tracks such as ‘Halaname’ and ‘Mbeuguel’, a duet with Carlou D, might well have earned a place alonside the tracks on the main compilation.