Bambay Gueej
The beauty of Lô's debut,Né la Thiass("Night and Day"), was its layeredmbalaxrhythms and Lô's melodic singing. OnBambay Gueej("Bamba, Ocean of Peace"), Lô adorns these elements with funk and soul, satisfying fans of his music while drawing new ones.Bambayagain features a forest of talking drums, the acoustic guitar, and Afro-Cuban horns, but the sound is more polished and the rhythms are more pronounced.James Brown's horn player,Pee Wee Ellis, arranged the brass in stronger outlines, and a Hammond organ floats into the mix. Lô's bright, raspy vocals onNé la Thiasssent chills up the spine as messages of spirituality soared to the heavens. His buoyant singing returns here, still dancing as delicately as an angel but not necessarily over music that's as vaporous as clouds. "N'Jarinu Garab" ("The Tree") is one of the more infectious cuts, as is the funky "Bambay Gueej."Oumou Sangaré's warm, watery voice appears on "Bobo Doulasso," dousing the grit of Lô's while conjuring a Malian folksong newly dressed in R&B; clothes. This is a fine follow-up for Lô, not only due to his enormous talent, but also because he has a fully formed vision of who he is and what he's musically about.--Karen K. Hugg