COMPOSERS: Seydina Insa Wade
LABELS: Stargazer
WORKS: Xalima
PERFORMER: Seydina Insa Wade (voice), etc
CATALOGUE NO: SG-001
Last year it was Pape and Cheikh, now it’s the veteran Seydina Insa Wade, an acknowledged influence on all of them, in a release packed with musical history and sustained energy.
The voice is forthright and melodious – you’d call it refined if you hadn’t just been hearing N’Dour, but then listen to the songs themselves and the joyous music-making with key figures of his career.
They include pianists and a discreet cellist from Paris and the guitarist Oumar Sow, who went back to join N’Dour’s Super Étoile band when Seydina stayed a while in France and who now contributes a couple of brilliant solos. Tight ensemble-playing and powerful climaxes make this a resplendent debut for an enterprising label from Enniskillen.