Made in Dakar (Nonesuch)

Orchestra Baobab from Senegal created some of the most sublime world music of the ’70s and early ’80s, mixing Caribbean and African traditions. The band broke up in 1985, but got back together 16 years later and soon afterwards recorded the award-winning Specialist in All Styles, with Nick Gold (of Buena Vista Social Club fame) as producer. It was an impressive comeback, though all the songs on the album were written during the earlier incarnation of Orchestra Baobab. Would its members be able to create new compositions of the same high calibre? Made in Dakar responds with an emphatic yes—and the musicianship is better than ever.

Now an 11-piece group, including five singers, Orchestra Baobab has an instantly recognizable sound, characterized by beautifully interwoven vocals, the relaxed and fluid guitar work of band-leader Barthélemy Attisso, and soulful horns that soar. The group continues to invent musical hybrids. “Ami Kita Bay”, for instance, combines Latin salsa and mbalax beats from Dakar to make an infectious dance rhythm the band dubs mbalsa. The more sultry “Cabral” has a Cuban guajira country feel, with West African flavours. “Bikowa” is a Senegalese calypso track.

Not all the material is of recent origin. A traditional griot call-and-response song serves as the springboard for the driving mbalax of “Ndéleng Ndéleng”; and the seven-minute “Nijaay” is a remake of an Orchestra Baobab hit from 1972, with star guest Youssou N’Dour adding his penetrating voice to the harmonies. The guiding hand of Gold as producer of Made in Dakar ensures the musical textures are varied yet consistent. This an African classic—one of those rare recordings that remains faithful to a vintage sound while at the same time giving it new dimensions.