Robert Christgau: Dean of American Rock Critics

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Ismaël Lo

  • Iso [Mango, 1994] Neither
  • Jammu Africa [Worldly/Triloka, 1997] B+

Consumer Guide Reviews:

Iso [Mango, 1994] Neither

Jammu Africa [Worldly/Triloka, 1997]
Like any aspiring popstar, this sweet-voiced world-music natural from Niger and Dakar thrives on a format that isolates his trickiest tunes. Not especially danceable, too slick to power through the wall of incomprehension that separates Anglophones from his multilingual homilies, this best-of showcases an expansive adept of Eurovision style. The synthesizer isn't my favorite ax either. But it can cut through the undergrowth like anything else. B+