Maciré Sylla
Maya Irafama
Trace, 2000
This native of Conakry, Guinea, blends Sousssou and Fulani tradition with enough soul and funk to rival the pop diva of Benin, Angelique Kidjo. This is definitely Afro-slick, taking off where African acts vying for the mainstream--like Kidjo and Toure Kunda--leave off. The band is hot, and Sylla's voice very strong, with a tough attitude and clear precision. There are roots elements here: great percussion, some complex rhythms, and Fulani flute adding grit to tracks like "Wombéré" and "Diabana." Sylla toured with the traditional group Fatala. It's clear she paid her dues on the roots side before going pop. Two songs incorporate reggae. There's a somewhat banal French ballad. In fact, there's enough posing and borrowing here that some will write this off as another bit of pumped-up Paris fluff. But Sylla has real vocal and composition chops. And her musicians slam it home track after track. Apparently, her sound is going down very well in Conakry, and it's quite possible that this international debut will prove to be the start of something big.
Contributed by: Banning Eyre for www.afropop.org
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