The collective that brought Blur’s Damon Albarn together with Malian musicians 20 years ago now assembles artists from four continents, though particularly plants the roots of this superb 21-track double album in Mexico, with a feast of fabulous numbers spanning cumbia, hip-hop, kuduro, soul, salsa, pop, reggaeton and more. Recorded last year following a performance during Bahidorá Festival, revered as something of a jungle and river idyll, it’s a wonderfully diverse collection and a testament to how diverse musicians unite through the universal language of music. The 30 plus artists, as well as Albarn mainly on keyboards, include Django Django, Joan as Police Woman, Bonobo, Baba Sissoko, Nick Zinner of Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Poté, Seye Adelekan, Fatoumata Diawara, Moonchild Sanelly, Hak Baker, La Bruja de Texcoco, Mare Advertencia, Mexican Institute of Sound and many more. But among the standout performers comes in the form the distinctive, deep, rich, beautiful voice of acclaimed Mexican trans singer Luisa Almaguer, particularly on the track Soledad and Hacernos Así, the latter a particularly moving love song about the trans experience. There’s slick hip-hop on tracks such as Otim Hop featuring Otim Alpha and Bootie Brown, or the more delicate sound of intricate strings on Frenemies with Hak Baker and others. But it’s the wealth and breadth of sounds here that are to be enjoyed and celebrated, from the sprightly percussion and violins on Kelegusta (Tayhana, Otim Alpha & La Bruja de Texcoco), the syncopated beats and brass of El Diablo y La Bruja (La Bruja de Texcoco and Los Pream), the African chorus joy and instrumental intricacy of Seya (featuring Onipa, Fatoumata Diawara, Abou Diarra, Mélissa Hié and Ophélia Hié), or Kuduro (Fatoumata Diawara, Moonchild Sanelly and Tom Excell); the fusion of Spanish and English vocals on the catchy Raise a Glass (Django Django, Mare Advertencia and Seye Adelekan), or the pulse raising, whispering, anarchic traditional and electronically percussive energy and spoken menace of the fabulous Chucha (Son Rompe Pera, Joan as Police Woman, Otim Alpha, Abou Diarra, Ophélia Hié, Mélissa Hié and the Mexican Institute of Sound) to name but a few. Joyous musical adventure and discovery from start to finish. With much more here to bathe in, another landmark release of brilliant talent coming together. Out on World Circuit Limited / BMG.
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