Live At The Royal Festival Hall

This special mid-price EP features four long tracks recorded at Baaba Maal's roof-raising gig last year in London's Royal Festival Hall. Backed by Daande Lenol, his regular sixteen member band of guitarists, percussionists, saxophonists, kora players and dancers, as well as legendary Jamaican guitarist Ernest Ranglin and Irish chanteuses The Screaming Orphans, Baaba Maal blew London away. This beautifully produced CD captures the excitement and superb musicianship of that night.

Three of the tracks are from Baaba's superb fourth album, Nomad Soul, released last year to great acclaim. Nomad Soul catapulted Baaba to international fame, bringing the stunning voice, traditional West African sounds and cross-cultural fusion of this Senegalese bard to a massive audience of world music lovers. The album was produced and mixed by some of the finest technical experts working in Britain, including Brian Eno and Howie B, and the Afro Celts' Simon Emmerson, Martin Russell and Ron Aslan, who are all huge fans.

Like the work of many other African musicians, Baaba Maal's songs transmit messages of unity and hope.The opening of 'Mbolo' begins with a long prelude of brass and kora, or African harp, before the talking drum kicks in to accompany Baaba's fast fiery voice. Sax solos give the track a modern jazz feel. Next up is 'African Woman', a beautiful 11-minute eulogy that carries piano, more sax, the soft lull of harmonised chanting, and repeated drumming build-ups and crescendos. Behind the music you can hear the audience going crazy.

In his introduction to 'Koni', the penultimate song, Baaba says that this folk song was passed down to him from his grandmother, who "always told stories about our past, where our people came from, and the movement of all the ethnic peoples of West Africa." He dedicates this soft, gentle, harp-accompanied track to all the children of the world. 'Douwayra', the last track, ups the ante again with thunderously fast percussion.

Ultra stylish, Live at the Royal Festival Hall is a must have for Baaba Maal fans, and an excellent starting point for the uninitiated.