Discovering a Fresh New World of African Sounds

African music is no different from any other when it comes to marketing “brand name” performers.

The artists who get international releases are usually the familiar veterans who made their reputations decades ago by creating the wide range of African pop styles. That can make it difficult for younger artists on the way up to break through and establish themselves.

New names in African music are the focus of this edition of On the Off Beat, a periodic column on roots, ethnic and pop sounds from around the world.

* * Kine Lam, “Praise,” Shanachie. Senegalese singer Lam is being touted as the female Youssou N’Dour, but despite her strong singing and a fine band, “Praise” suffers from overly complex arrangements that fail to emphasize the accessible hooks that bring a listener into the music. The exception is the reggae-influenced “Wallou,” but the two best songs hit their stride only near the end, when Lam unleashes an intense vocal barrage on “Bamba (Deurbi)” and a nice horn lick kicks in on “Wadiou.”

* * * Abdoulaye Diabate, “Djiriyo,” Stern’s Africa. With tracks drawn from three sessions, Diabate’s debut CD has a somewhat disjointed, pan-Malian sound. The best songs plug into the hypnotic Wassolou style that was introduced to the international scene by Oumou Sangare, with Saffre Coulibaly’s skittering lead guitar echoing Ali Farka Toure. “Namawou” and “Massasse” are standouts, and gently lulling balafon sparks the reggae-flavored “Fantanya.” The model for the remaining material is Salif Keita’s polished style, with Diabate’s less complex take faring best on the funky “Kanou Saba” and the sweeping grandeur of “Tabale.” Between Diabate’s evocative lead vocals and the strong female backing singers, “Djiriyo” is a vocal feast from an artist to watch.

* * 1/2 Chief Stephen Osita Osadebe, “Kedu America,” Xenophile/Green Linnet. Think Nigerian music, and the first names that spring to mind are King Sunny Ade and Fela Anikulapo-Kuti. But don’t expect those artists’ thunderous talking drums or flashy horn riffing from Osadebe. A consistent hit-maker in Nigeria for more than 20 years, he plays a lighter, quietly insinuating brand of Nigerian pop. Osadebe and his 10-piece band never force things on his debut American release, recorded in one day with some of the casual flavor of a garage jam session. His appealingly rough voice plays off Ezikel Uti’s lead guitar, a horn section and multiple percussion, but “Agbalu Aka Na Azo Ani” and “Osondi Owedi” are as close as Osadebe and company come to getting rowdy and raucous.

* * Samba Mapangala, “Karibu Kenya,” Syllart Productions/Stern’s Africa. Benga is the punchier Kenyan variation of Zaire’s popular soukous style. Zaire-born, Kenya-based singer Mapangala gets the Paris soukous superstar treatment on his third album--guitarists Diblo Dibala and Syran M’benza head the list--and the result is a proficient, professional soukous CD. It’s also completely lacking in the excitement and individual flair that Mapangala and his own horn-flavored Orchestre Virunga displayed during their delightful local performances last summer.

* * 1/2 Askia Modibo, “Wass Reggae,” Stern’s Africa. On his debut album, Mali’s Modibo and his nine-piece reggae band recall Alpha Blondy more than Lucky Dube--no surprise, as Modibo sang with Blondy for a while. The arrangements on “Wass Reggae” are less dense, and great horn lines spark “Circulation De Bamako,” “Les Aigles du Mali” and “Wadjou.” The best song, “Devaluation,” abandons Jamaican-rooted rhythms to tap into the Wassolou style, and Modibo could really be on to something if he can effectively combine those two hypnotic sounds.

* * 1/2 Jajoby, “Salegy!” Xenophile/Green Linnet. Most releases from Madagascar have focused on the island’s acoustic music, but salegy is the dance music. It’s an intriguing sound that manages to be gently loping and punchy at the same time--punchy, that is, when the music can cut through the murky production on this live-in-the-studio 1992 session. Luckily, the round-like vocal interplay and brilliant organ swirls don’t suffer on “Tsaiky Joby” and “Maniny Ny Aminay.” And “Salegy!” packs an endearingly strange closing punch when Jajoby sounds like a ‘60s garage punk band, Madagascar-style.

Albums are rated on a scale of one star (poor), two stars (fair), three stars (good) and four stars (excellent).