Ismaël Lô es un músico senegalés. Nació en Dogondoutchi en Níger el 30 de agosto de 1956 de un padre senegalés y una madre nigeriana.

Considerado "la auténtica e inolvidable voz del África moderna", el cantante ha popularizado la música senegalesa y ha prestado su imagen a diversas campañas de movilización social en el continente africano.

Considerado "la auténtica e inolvidable voz del África moderna", el cantante ha popularizado la música senegalesa y ha prestado su imagen a diversas campañas de movilización social en el continente africano.

The Senegalese singer doesn’t rush into things, this is only his second album in twelve years and his first in five, and there’s a palpable feeling of a man who likes to construct his albums like a master craftsman. As his vocal style develops into a soulful croon, and the trademark harmonica becomes less prominent, the songs are built around complex arrangements of strings, brass, keyboards, guitar and percussion.

Thione Seck, who is regarded as Senegal’s most poetic songwriter and greatest singer, travels eastward to Egypt and India and returns home with a masterpiece. With Orientation, recorded in Dakar, Paris, Cairo and Madras, Thione Seck raises a landmark of Senegalese music – one that illuminates paths to and from the Orient. It compels us to re-orient our notions of world music. Orientation is a trip in and of itself.

For much of the world, this was the first opportunity to hear Senegalese singer Youssou N'Dour. Championed by Peter Gabriel (who appears here on "Shaking the Tree"), he burst into public consciousness with the frantic mbalax rhythms of the title track, dedicated to Senegal's soccer team. The producers, including David Sancious, added some gloss to the sound without killing the thrill of songs like "The Truth," and N'Dour's wonderful voice, with its high, keening griot sound was firmly front and center--exactly where it should be.

El guitarrista y cantante senegalés Ismael Lô es una de las estrellas de la música africana más consolidada en el ámbito internacional. Con su voz rica en matices y con un estilo propio cercano al folky, reflejan el espíritu más representativo del género senegalés mbalax con que hablan y denuncian el racismo y la falta de respeto a la inmigración.

Este disco es indispensable para conocer y saborear el ritmo más representativo de la música tradicional moderna de Senegal. A través de las canciones podremos disfrutar del género mbalax que ha hecho de este país referencia musical con una especial dedicación a la percusión y a las trompetas. [lang=en]Now this is the real deal... rootsy and raw and altogether remarkable. This is the roots of mbalax, the slower groove, the heavier horn sound, the sinewey, reverbed guitars all in service to some great singing.

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.