The Afro-pop star is moving further away from his homeland of Mali musically, not thematically.
Fatoumata Diawara, singer/songwriter-guitarist with Malian roots and now a superstar of global pop, always releases shimmering energies on stage with her exuberant mix of Afrobeat, jazz, electro, pop and rock – fed by polyrhythmic grooves and proggy guitars. This only works to a limited extent on the new album.
MASSA continues what was already apparent on LONDON KO (2023) – although the predecessor, created in collaboration with Damon Albarn, offered more variety than the new release, for which the musician Matthieu Chedid alias -M- had the artistic direction. Diawara’s sonic characteristics, such as her throatier singing, seem to be increasingly diluted. The album still contains highlights.
The single “Djanne” or the pretty stumbling “Sigui” develop their pull, the more polished production also sounds smooth, but the bottom line is that MASSA seems a bit arbitrary. But even if the 42-year-old Diawara, who has lived in France since escaping a forced marriage at the age of 19, seems to be moving away from Mali in terms of sound, her lyrics, sung in Bambara, as usual, address topics such as migration or the living situation of women in polygamous families.