Amadou & Miriam
Album: Folila
Label: Because
Tracks: 1013
Website: http://www.amadou-miriam.com

The latest offering from the darlings of the World music scene, husband and wife team Amadou & Mariam is 'Folila', a collaborative album that features guest stars Santigold, guitarist Nick Zinner (Yeah Yeah's), Jake Shears (Scissor Sisters) and indie rapper Theophilus London.

The difficulty with dedicating a whole album to collaborations is in achieving the right balance and cohesive thread to the track listings.

The album was originally planned two run to two discs, with the first CD being the collaborative efforts, and disc two reverting to Amadou and Mariam in a stripped back acoustic setting featuring more traditional Malian music.

The new album, recorded in New York and Mali before final mixing in Paris is a heady mix of styles, and moves seamlessly from Afro-pop to traditional Malian via dance rap and blues.

In the main, the correct balance is achieved, with the the guests remaining firmly in the background and allowing Amadou's guitar to remain at the forefront for most of the time, capturing his live style more accurately on this album than on previous outings.

Only on 'Africa mon Afrique' does the keyboards of Amp Fiddler and the accompanying horn section relegate Amadou & Mariam's careful blending to bit players.

'Folila' is a joyful listen, and will flourish in the live setting, and I defy anyone not to be moved to a happier plane after hearing the stand-out track ' C'est Pas Facile Pour Les Aigles'

Phil Carter