Xel

Xel is a solid triumph. Even without the liner-note translations, N'Diaye has the ability to transfix.Love song "Kaki" wears its yearning large, complementing N'Diaye's sometimes pleading, sometimes cooing vocals with lovely amplified guitar figures. "Xale bi" kicks off with an understated fuzz-box sound right out of the Cream songbook before gliding into a touching lyric about Dakar's forgotten street children that surprises with an English-language chorus. The ruinous struggle for independence of Senegal's Cassamance region elicits anguished vocals, ominous traditional drumbeats, and the delicate optimism of a balafon solo on "Casa di mansa." The gut-wrenching singing launches Xel well beyond a diversion of a disc. N'Diaye demands attention, and his socially conscious, beautifully crafted songs deserve close listening.