Abdoulaye Diabate
Bende
Cobalt (www.budamusique.com)

Abdoulaye Diabate is a true griot - a point he makes forcefully in the liner notes to Bende. While he is extremely sensitive to the power that griots wield in traditional West African society, Diabate matured in the post-colonial era and knows that a good way to keep going as a musician is to make the dance floor come alive. He does this beautifully on his latest Cobalt recording.

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Bende reflects Diabate's pragmatic sensibility. Several recent Malian releases have struggled to incorporate contemporary rock idioms without a whole lot of success (Salif Keita's latest, as well as Issa Bagayogo's come to mind) but Diabate makes it sound effortless. If you think a griot is an old man with a kora, Diabate will enlighten you with his tense, danceable compositions. Backed by ample bass and steady work on the drum kit, Diabate's tenor weaves into the ticking percussion and staccato guitar licks seamlessly. Diabate makes great use of balafon, which reflects both new respect for the traditional instrument in Mali, and the fact that Diabate lives in Koutiala, whose Minyanka people are known for their outstanding balafon playing. Appropriately, "Balafon" features the instrument in a driving village-dance style; the only thing missing is the terrific distortion you only get from well-blown loudspeakers.

The title track starts with a djembe drum roll, three fat beats on the bass drum interject, followed by the balafon, and the tension builds until Diabate whips in with his urgent tenor encouraging mutual understanding ("Bende" = "Understanding"). The music is modern and electric, but Diabate is not singing to an international audience - unless someone can explain how "Farming" (one song's title) is suddenly a hip, cosmopolitan theme in pop music. For solid, modern dance pop from Mali, you can't beat Bende. - Craig Tower