Dieneba Seck

The Truth [Tigne]( Stern's Music STCD1099, 2005)

In this year of 2005 Diénéba Seck releases her fourth solo album - nothing too strange there you might think, but, considering her first album was way back in 1991, it's been a mighty slow process. Worth the wait since her 1999 outing, though, as she's been re-united with a musical collaborator from her early career, one Sekou Kouyaté.

Sekou's band have been a Europe-based outfit for some years and the two artist's careers have diverged, with Diénéba spending most of her time in Bamako and her home town of Kita - Mali's premier music town. Diénéba is not a hereditary musician, or jali, her parents were health workers but they spotted a prodigious early talent and gave their daughter every encouragement with an artistic career.

Her parents' dedication and conviction paid off, Diénéba has one of the finest voices of her generation - in a home market crowded with some of the best female vocalists in the world - and her popularity & album sales in Mali reflect that.

This set of twelve self-compositions sparkle in clean and precise arrangements from guitarist/arranger Kouyaté. 11 tracks feature principally traditional instruments & percussion in a simple fusion with guitar, bass and keyboards giving an all-over rootsy feel. The soukou (hunter's violin) plays off the looping flute melodies providing bags of atmosphere and Sekou's ever-cyclic guitar playing maintains a gentle rhythmic presence. The 8-piece band + 2 backing vocalists keep things cooking throughout, only the over-synthed and syrupy ballad 'Tigné' (The truth), which also happens to be the title track, stands out as not belonging in an otherwise first-class set of Wassoulou grooves.