(Realworld)
In their second Afropop album , Tama accents West African rhythms with subtle Western influences. Fittingly, this eclectic group is based in the cosmopolitan city of Paris.
In , Tama's members Mamani Keita and Toumani Diakite from Mali, Djanuno Dabo from Guinia-Bissau and Sam Mills from England all play strong rolls with no one person consistently taking the lead. Throughout Tama contracts and expands to include many guest artists and styles of music. In \Ibata,"" for instance, Chicago blues echo in the background under the influence of guest artist Vincent Bucher's harmonica. ""Credit"" expands to include guest bongo musician Gerard Carocci, violinist Dimitri Aremenko, percussionist Mokhtar Samba, bass player N'Doumbe Djenge and guitarists Yves Mesnil and Manecas Costa, a collaboration that results in a distinctively disco-flavored chorus.
Music styles from around the world influence songs but West African influences establish the album's foundation.
As with a lot of African music, vocals play a huge role in . The voices of Keita, Dabo and Diakite carry the lyrics but also frequently subordinate the instrumentation as in ""Marimasa."" In ""Masimasa,"" perhaps the album's most traditional song, Keita's resonating voice carries the song as the instrumentation murmurs softly in the background. Diakite intensifies vocals on ""Masimasa"" even further when he joins Keita for the song's chorus.
Although West African sources guide Tama's music, Tama does not allow them to isolate other influences. Tama draws in but also smoothly fuses mixed musical styles into the texture of each song.
Tama also exhibits versatility in their ability to work with a slew of instruments from the more traditional African instruments like the donzo n'goni to instruments we might be more accustomed to hear playing polka. In ""Oka,"" for instance, an accordion reiterates Dabo's lyrics and in Yalala a cello draws and staggers deep notes beneath Keita's resounding soprano voice.
enlivening vocals and bright sound at first seem simple but attentive listening reveals a complex web of talent and creativity.
