TOUKI

Amadou Diagne has centuries of West African music at his fingertips. Cory Seznec is a musical wanderer and uncertified ethnomusicologist. A chance encounter while busking in Bath planted the seeds of a collaboration that's been fermenting now for over a decade. Those seedlings are shooting up into the light with a prestigious Arts Council of England grant and the release of their sophomore album, Plastic Man, recorded at the legendary Real World Studios.

Touki means journey in Wolof, Diagne's mother tongue. Plastic Man focuses on climate change, environmental activism and spiritual mattersdrawing together West African fables, personal stories and the social, economic and political challenges facing both developing countries and western ones. This is music that asks ecological, spiritual, and political questions.

A scintillating sequel to Ali Farka Touré & Ry Cooder's Talking Timbuktu. ROLLING STONE

A subtle and fresh fusion that is further boosted by Seznec's voice, a dextrous, resonant drawl that brings out the color of his songs. SONGLINES