Touki
ARC Music (39 mins)
Senegalese singer Modou Touré has big shoes to fill as the son of Ousmane Touré, lead singer of the legendary band Touré Kunda, but he’s become a staple on the UK scene since settling in London in the late 00s. After success with guitarist Ramon Goose as part of the West African Blues Project, he now presents his debut solo album, Touki (A Journey).
The album’s theme comes from Touré’s life of travel, and his lyrics in four languages (Wolof, Mandinka, Soninke and English) talk about weighty topics such as development in Africa, poverty and famine, ancestors and faith. It can’t be said, however, that the music is similarly weighty. Touré’s lyrics are set to a soft’n’easy mix of soul-funk, reggae, rock and Senegalese rhythms that blend into something generic and inoffensive, further marred by frequent wailing rock guitar solos that never stop sounding out-of-place.
Here and there, moments do stand out with interesting Wolof melodies, influences from mbalax or the occasional darker and more atmospheric track (such as ‘Yeurmande’) but those moments are exceptions to the whole. Touré’s skills as a singer are evident, but are let down by uninspired backing. A missed opportunity.