Tata Bambo Kouyaté - Djely Mousso (1988)

I don't know about you, but I tend to go through phases of listening intensely to one style of music, and then am captivated by another. Currently it is almost impossible for me to tear myself away from early Congolese music. I am reading Gary Stewart's fascinating Rumba On The River, and thanks to Global Groove, dialAfrica, worldservice and others, I am able to listen to the two Congos' musical history as I read about it. Yet at another time I was immersed in mandé music.

Tata Bambo Kouyaté is one of the great griot voices of Mali, and this powerful album catches her peaking. The album opens with the brilliant, sharp guitar of Modibo Kouyaté, and when the rhythm section drops in you think: This is it! Then Tata Bambo begins singing and you forget for a second that there is any instrumental accompaniment at all. The voice is overwhelming. It sweeps you away, and then the guitar draws you back for a suite of tribute songs delivered with passion.

This album was produced by Ibrahima Sylla with Boncana Maïga, a partnership responsible for uncounted outstanding recordings. While Modibo's guitar and Moriba Koïta's ngoni carry the traditional current, Maïga's electric bass and keyboards have a funky edge that gives the ageless praise singing a completely modern setting. Tata Bambo rides above it all, demanding attention with her extraordinary voice. Grab this extraordinary album, listen to it with headphones, and don't let go.

Enjoy!