La voix de la Révolution, vol.1 / La voix de la Revolution, vol.1

Long before griots like Salif Keita, Djeli Moussa Diawara, and Mory Kanté brought West African traditional music to international audiences, the crystalline-voiced Sory Kandia Kouyaté was recording Mande praise songs and lilting pop tunes for Guinea’s state-run Syliphone imprint. Not only did Kouyaté’s music inspire a generation of future griots, it laid the groundwork for the explosion of Guinean and West African pop in the ‘60s and ‘70s. The first volume of La voix de la Revolucion focuses on Kouyaté’s secular recordings; they often feature the singer backed by a mix of Guinean instruments (like the kora and balofon) and western ones (such as guitar, piano, and saxophone). Songs like “Minawa” feature bold horn arrangements and loping, Latin-influenced grooves that would have a profound influence on the development of Guinean groups like the Bembeya Jazz National. One of the most striking numbers here is the more traditional Mande song “Sakhodougou,” which features a keening, hair-raising vocal from Kouyaté that ranks as one of the most impassioned performances of his career.