Mali music

One of Africa's most celebrated singers, Kandia Kouyate, arrives in for shows at St. John's Arts Centre, Listowel (January 27); The Gallery on Gladstone, Clonmel (29); Half Moon Theatre, Cork (30); Whelan's, Dublin (31); and Cuba, Galway (February 1).

A member of Mali's Mandinka tribe, Kouyate has a remarkable contralto voice that's offset by kora (12-string harp-lute), balafon (xylophone) and bolon (bass harp).

The jaunt coincides with the release of her second album, Biriko, which the New York Times reckons will have you "hanging on to every improvisatory phrase, whether or not you understand the language."

Sounds like a good 'un.