Heard this bit on NPR this morning.
His first album was all Delta Blues, acoustic, moanin.
This album is different.
He sings in Cameroon patois, he does a few hip-hop tracks, he's got urban beats and Mali guitars and Caribbean rhythms, and southern field hollers.
He has played behind Buddy Guy and B.B. King... and Natalie Merchant and Dave Matthews. And a bunch of African guys I don't even know.
There should be more material on the npr Morning Edition site in an hour or so.
Till then, listen here.
Here's his Alligator Records bio page, with links to his older CDs, some of which have audio samples.
Here's a review of Downhome Sophisticate, the new album, on Rounder.
Quote:That's what we as black Americans gave to the world: the concept of blues. But at the same time, I'm of a different generation. I didn't ever have to go to the back of a bus. If I was out on the road, I wouldn't have to camp in my car because they wouldn't let black people in the hotel. So I'm trying to represent what my tradition is, and then represent my individual self in the contemporary moment."
Follow the "listen" link up at the top for more short samples.
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