Ballaké Sissoko

Djourou NØ FØRMAT!. CD/DL/LP

Malian kora maestro seeks out the unexpected.

Eleven albums in, there’s a chance an artist has used up their fair share of inspiration. Not so here. Sissoko, hoping to stretch himself, invites a selection of notable fans to collaborate, with results that lack for little in the way of surprises. The opener, Demba Kunda, suggests a straightforward instrumental set; but French singer Camille’s hymn around the sound of the word “kora” is transcendent; Piers Faccini’s vocals take you one step higher; and there’s a slightly hoarse-sounding Salif Keita thrown in as a bonus. Even when the risks aren’t to the fore – a duet with Gambia’s Sona Jobarteh is lush, but not groundbreaking – the effect is still spellbinding. But the best is saved for last, the glorious Un Vêtement Pour La Lune with Arthur Teboul (of Paris’s Feu! Chatterton) departing on a dreamlike excursion you’ll never want to end.