Album: Mamani Keita, Gagnar L'Argent Francais (No Format!)

African/rock crossover albums can go horribly wrong, but there's something about this one-time Salif Keita backing vocalist's precise, almost oriental-sounding, voice, set against the rolling arrangements of electric guitars, ngoni and atmospherically engaging samples, that make this work surprisingly well.

One to file next to JuJu's In Trance, reviewed here a month or so ago, although Ms Keita's effort has more textual and emotional breadth. Nice art work too.