Soro

1	Wamba 4:45
2	Soro (Afriki) 9:52
3	Souareba 4:39
4	Sina (Soumbouya) 4:45
5	Cono 6:00
6	Sanni Kegniba 7:44

Barnes & Noble

In 1987, Salif Keita's soaring voice rang like a clarion, calling the world's attention to Mali's ancient, soul-charging sounds. Soro remains an unparalleled "world music" classic, one that deftly fuses the traditional and the technological into a unique and coherent whole, one reflective of Africa's modern reality. Keita's burnished voice, echoing the modal, Islam-influenced cadences of Mali's jali (griot) tradition, is full of ache and spiritual passion. The rhythms -- tumbling triplets and subtle but driving 4/4's were born on the balafon and kora of Mali's traditional repertoire, but they find fresh life in Keita's mix of airy synths, throbbing electric bass, and vibrant horn arrangements. Alternately spacey (as on the title cut), and slamming (as on the brilliant "Sina"), this disc flows like the mighty Niger River, the lifeblood of Mali's desert-dwelling people. "Cono," one of Keita's masterpieces, pulses with the gentle, rocking flow of traditional village music, while at the same time displaying a modern studio polish that makes it instantly accessible for pop audiences. Ousmane Kouyate infuses the disc with brilliant Mandeng-style guitar picking that provides a perfect backdrop for Keita's vocal flights. Many have chased Keita down the golden road to "worldbeat" success; few even approach his finesse. Soro remains the measure of the form. Erik Goldman

All Music Guide

Salif Keita's success story reads like an improbable historical novel. Born in Mali and descended from a famous warrior king of the Manding Empire, Keita is an albino, which is still considered bad luck in many parts of Africa. He was ostracized from birth, and his childhood was marred by his father's oft-expressed revulsion. Although it was considered shameful for people of his caste to become entertainers, he must have felt that he didn't have much lose, so he migrated to the capitol city of Bamako bent on a career as a singer. After epochal stints fronting bands like Rail Band and les Ambassadeurs, he moved to Paris during the mid-'80s. His reputation had proceeded him, and he quickly became a fixture on the flourishing African music circuit. Although he was famous in Africa and had achieved a strong fan base among connoisseurs around the world, Soro was his international breakthrough album. The project was produced by Ibrahima Sylla, a visionary who had already discovered dozens of African stars and would later become the driving force behind Africando. The arrangements featured the roiling rhythms, slightly nasal female backup choirs, and traditional percussion typical of Malian music. But these were nearly overwhelmed by attack-trained brass charts, rocked-out electric guitars, overtly synthetic keyboards, and programmed drums. In retrospect, only a voice as powerful as Keita's could have not only managed to cut through the din but make an ally of it. Despite a tendency to sound somewhat dated, Soro preserves the Golden Voice of Mali at an absolute peak of perfection, alternately soaring, laser-like, or caressing. Although this melting pot only narrowly avoids boiling over, it must be placed near the top of any list of the master's most influential albums. Christina Roden