Befitting her Ivory Coast home, Dobet Gnahoré largely sings in French. She utilizes a number of different African music traditions. I will not pretend to know enough to break those down, but even a casual listener can hear her move from one beat to another with grace and ease. Gnahoré fuses these and many other sounds into pop songs that are fully grounded in their roots.

Dobet Gnahoré Couleur (Cumbancha)

Gnahoré has been walking this line for some time. This is her sixth album, and I can't hear any seams. At this point, Gnahoré has found her music. She's found her musicians and she knows exactly how she wants to express herself.

I suppose one could call this "world" music, as it does incorporate sounds from pretty much all over the world. There really isn't a genre for what she is doing here, however. Familiar sounds placed into unfamiliar contexts, all connected by Gnahoré's strong and expressive voice.

Intoxicating. The music never stops moving, and generally in more than one direction. This set will start a party all by itself.

Jon Worley