Amadou Diangne: Introducing Amadou Diagne (World Music Network)

Singer/songwriter Diagne from Senegal comes from impeccable pedigree. He was born into a griot family, started on drums at age four, played in the Senegalese National Band and his song Senegal won a Battle of the Bands on the World Music Network's website.

And there is no doubt Senegal is a moving piece with Diagne's quavering but strong vocal filled with emotion and is offset by gentle acoustic guitar.

However over the hour here -- despite the inclusion of cello, saxophone, djeme and shakers -- his voice mostly works the same narrow vein and that makes for rather less enticing listening than you would hope for given those credentials.

Because of that, this album is best and more enjoyably sampled in small, isolated doses during which songs like the lovely Kharit and Suma Dom emerge like intimate message and can be appreciated outside the context of the similarly framed, whispered songs.

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