Friday, June 30, 2006

There have seemingly never been any harsh words for Malian singer Salif Keita's gorgeous voice, but sometimes his musical accompaniment has caused eyebrows to furrow. After leading sharp African dance bands in the '70s, this now fifty-something vocalist detoured into singing over bland synthesizer beats and jazz-fusion noodling. However, on 2002's largely acoustic "Moffou" and his lively new "M'Bemba," Keita returned to a guitar-driven sound and made it feel vital without sounding retro.

Opening his latest U.S. tour at Lisner Auditorium on Wednesday night, the African superstar led his nine-member band through a two-hour set composed largely of material from his two most recent efforts. On "Dery," he engaged in insinuating back-and-forth vocals with his group's two smoothly soulful female singer-dancers, while electric guitarist Ousmane Kouyate and kamele n'goni (a lute with a large gourd bottom) player Harouna Samake led the band with clever but not fussy string work. After the audience sat still and politely clapped, Keita implored, "You sit down all day; please stand up tonight." This invitation, plus the slightly faster tempos of "Laban" and "Ladji," and Keita's dramatic Islamic-influenced vocals, loosened up the crowd, as did the percussive solos on the large calabash drum.

After nearly an hour with the band, Keita sang three songs accompanied only by his own acoustic guitar-picking and the backup singers. His voice effortlessly shifted on such songs from high-pitched passionate tones to lower, earthier ones. When the band returned, Keita appeared to lose focus, allowing the musicians to meander self-indulgently for several numbers. By the evening's closers, which included Keita classic "Mandjou," everyone was back in fine form -- the kamele n'goni player was strumming on his back, loads of audience members were onstage dancing, and Keita was happily alternating between singing and shaking the hands of as many concertgoers as he could.

-- Steve Kiviat