By: John Engelmann
Rating: 9/11

Most Americans have heard the talking drum (or "tarna") before, the bongo-like sound heard in the background of many Curtis Mayfield songs. Baye Kouyate brings this sound to the foreground and then some. The tireless, Mali-born tarna master drives irresistably danceable songs with lightning-quick modulated thumps. Reinforced by kora (a harp-like instrument), balafon (an African marimba that sounds uncannily like a synthesizer at times), djembe, drum kit, guitar, and bass, Baye and his band capably cover a wide stylistic range with ecstatic rhythms as a common thread. Of course the most successful songs are those true to Baye's roots, such as "Kemin Bourama," a song based on an exotic, cascading North African scale. Baye's tenor voice seems more suited to rapid enunciation than to the production of a "pretty" tone quality; however, this detracts little from the group's overall effect. For a truly exciting musical experience with no pretenses, Baye Kouyate is where it's at.