So Kono by Salif Keita

Presentación del Álbum: So Kono - Salif Keita

Seven years after announcing his retirement from recording, the legendary "Golden Voice of Africa" returns with a marvelously soulful new album, produced in a style befitting his 75 years. So Kono will thrill Salif Keita's many fans simply by existing. Fortunately, it is much more than just another album in his catalog. Known for an eclectic fusion of styles in the decades since he first gained notice as a singer with Mali's celebrated Rail Band and Les Ambassadeurs, Keita appears on So Kono in the sparest setting of his career. He accompanies himself on guitar with support from ngoni and occasional percussion and backing vocals. On the rare occasions that he previously featured acoustic settings on his albums, such as 2005's M'Bemba and 2009's La Différence, his bands were much larger, with more choral voices, a full rhythm section, keyboards and other instruments in the mix. The space of So Kono is delightfully open, allowing the listener to experience the details in Keita's vocal delivery, as well as his splendid guitar work.  And there's an intensity almost unprecedented in the many celebrated performances of his career. Further informing Keita's reflective intent (and indeed, the sense of the necessity behind this new album) is the eponymous "Kanté Manfila," a tribute to the late Guinian guitarist and performer—and longtime collaborator. The lonesomeness expressed here is keenly evident throughout the album. So Kono ("from this room") finds Salif Keita dry-eyed and deep, facing up to the world he's known as it spirals away from him, singing his truth and playing the music of his life with eloquence and conviction. © Rian Murphy/Qobuz