Keita’s imaginative tunings on kora combined with violin, acoustic bass and percussion created a daring acoustic fusion on his quartet’s debut, Afro Mandinka Soul. This time out, he’s over-egged the pudding —?the ambitious arrangements of each song leave everyone straining to catch up. The bass-heavy mix highlights the disunity of the rhythm section; songs that should move along briskly sound fussy. Violinist Samy Bishai’s cloying melodies drag, though the addition of vocalist Binta Suso provides some much needed bite. Throughout, Keita’s kora leads sparkle and when all the elements come together, some powerful grooves result. Still, it almost seems as though the group hadn’t yet mastered these compositions prior to recording. A summer of playing festivals might see this band (now a quintet) in far better shape.

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