Mouneissa
IfRokia Traoresinging the title track toMouneïssaisn't one of the great  pleasures of owning a pair of headphones, it certainly comes close. Her  pure, angelic voice grabs the Manding material by its soulful lapels  while maintaining a thoughtful note of understatement that's a nice  antidote to the declamatory attack of many other Malian vocalists.  She's arresting but never overpowering as gliding harmonies couple with  the chiming plucked-string arrangement. This reissue of Traore's first  album from 1997 shows fewer of the Western vocal touches than on 2000'sWanita, along  with soft backing instrumentation that complements her voice like soft  raindrops on tender seeds. Acoustic energy propels compositions that  draw freely from the Malian griot tradition while adding bold but  unobtrusive neo-folkie touches. "Sakanto" pairs thengonilute  with thebalafonwooden marimba, using her healing voice to knit  the woody textures together. The fifth cut ("Sabali") surprises by  ushering in the first palpable drum on the disc plus an electric bass  that creates the tension for her bluesy song about getting wisdom.  Though this warm and powerful CD displays Traore at full confidence, it  only hints at the gifts she has still to give.--Bob Tarte