*** Nahawa Doumbia

YAALA

(Cobalt)

Singer Oumou Sangaré is the best known exponent of West Africa's Wassoulou music, with its bluesy, pentatonic melodies and shuffling, seductive rhythms. But Nahawa Doumbia has actually been on the scene longer, and as her latest work confirms, she's every bit Sangaré's creative equal. If her vocal timbre is harder-edged than his, the emotions expressed are no less powerful.

This release shows the subtle influence of Western producers and one collaborator, French guitarist Claude Barthélémy, who plays slide, acoustic, and electric guitar, adding a distinctive voice without overwhelming or compromising these delicate African soundscapes. The production style is admirably spare, avoiding electronics and bringing particular instruments forward: wooden balafon on the serene "Minia -- The Sacred Boa," piquant electric guitar on "Sisse," and the signature sound of Wassoulou music, the fleet, funky six-string harp known as kamalé ngoni, on the standout title track. Traditional concerns pervade Doumbia's thoughtful lyrics, which include warnings against laziness and corruption, advice on child rearing, and songs about the difficulty of accepting death. More great work from a mature and underrated African star.

-- Banning Eyre