SALIF KEITA "M'Bemba" Decca
Mali's Salif Keita.
(Lisner Auditorium)
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SALIF KEITA"M'Bemba"Decca
LIKE MANY AFRICAN musicians who have become international stars, Salif Keita has recently been divesting Western influences, substituting traditional acoustic instruments for synthesizers and electric guitars. On 2002's "Moffou," the Malian singer's style of roots music was lovely but overly languid; it came as no surprise when his label followed the CD with a dance-remix version. The delightful "M'Bemba" continues in the same mode as "Moffou" yet is significantly livelier. Aside from dancehall-reggae vocalist Buju Banton's appearance on "Ladji," the album doesn't pander to Western tastes but will probably please a wider audience than its predecessor.
The official cliche to describe Keita's remarkable tenor is "golden," but that isn't quite right. His high notes don't shine so much as ache, and they are grounded by a hint of grit in the throat, a combination that conveys human complexity rather than show-biz gloss. The voice is so arresting that the rest of the music is sometimes slighted, yet Keita's style is unimaginable without a full ensemble. Guitars patter under his singing, female voices enfold it and multiple percussionists build a nest of interlocking rhythms underneath. Most of the album's most thrilling moments, such as the melodic shift halfway through "Laban," are entirely a group effort. "M'Bemba" proves that Keita can thrive without electric instruments, but not without a full array of the most traditional elements of his sound: voices and drums.
-- Mark Jenkins
Appearing Wednesday at Lisner Auditorium.
