Nahawa Doumbia - Kanawa

Another fine album from the Awesome Tapes from Africa label, the latest from singer Nahawa Doumbia is a blend of the traditional and modern in Malian pop.

Across eight songs recorded in Bamako, Doumbia merges her early work that relied on a spare expression of her trademark didadi rhythm with the bombastic range of contemporary Malian pop. The beautifully complex musical accompaniment that results is courtesy of the large ensemble she pulled together with producer and arranger (and day one collaborator) N’gou Bagayoko. The band features two highly expressive Malian string instruments, the ngoni and the slightly smaller kamalé ngoni, as well as a variety of percussion, drum programming, karignan (a metal scraper) and acoustic and electric guitars.