Nahawa Doumbia

★★★★ Kanawa AWESOME TAPES FROM AFRICA. CD/DL/LP/MC

Doumbia has been a star in Mali for 40 years, and her first new album on ATFA (after 10 years of reissues for the label) is a cracker, multi-layered funk with ngoni, guitar and kamelé ngoni weaving a thick stew together. No messing with the classic Wassoulou groove here: this is every bit as good as her landmark 1987 Didadi.