Wanita

When Rokia Traore turned to non-Malian vocal styles on Wanita, she didn't opt for an obvious Western approach like fellow West African diva Angelique Kidjo, who steeps her songs in funk. Instead, Traore's multilayered singing has the delicate complexity of Zap Mama alumnus Sally Nyolo's Tribu plus the gentility of chamber music. Instrumentation hews to the traditional arsenal of her country's griot troubadours, though with a modern edge. Rokia contributes acoustic guitar to a solid ensemble of balafon marimba, ngoni ba four-string guitar, djemba hand drum, electric bass, and kora harp from whirlwind Toumani Diabate. "Souba," based none too obviously on an Indian raga, shows her willingness to stretch boundaries in unexpected directions while the title track lingers on lush harmonies seldom heard in African pop. The hushed atmosphere of her performances may lack the raw soulfulness of Mali's best-known female vocalist, Oumou Sangare, but Traore's melodic hooks and quiet acrobatics prove the truth of the old adage that a whisper can be more dramatic than a shout. --Bob Tarte.