Riverboat Records and World Music Network are proud to present Sabou by the legendary West African singer and kora player Mory Kanté. Sabou is an all-acoustic release by the first African artist to sell a million singles, with ‘Yéké Yéké’, which topped the European charts in 1988. An exceptionally talented griot from Guinea in West Africa and, back in the 1970s, a contemporary of Salif Keita in the Rail Band, Mory Kanté has produced a stunning new album of depth and poise that is both contemporary and modern while also being firmly grounded in his traditional griot roots.

Sabou is Mory Kanté’s eagerly anticipated new acoustic album with sleeve notes written by West African music expert Lucy Duran. Sabou means ‘the cause’ – the reason why things happen the way they do. In Sabou, Mory Kanté goes back to the source of his inspiration, the ‘cause’ of his musical talent and knowledge: the art of the Mande griots. Framing the rolling harmonies and sounds of Guinean music with his own inimitable songwriting styles, full of ever-changing ethereal female choruses and cascading melodies on kora, flute and balafon (xylophone), Mory produces an innovative album that sounds simultaneously contemporary and rootsy. Whipping up a clean and fresh sound, amazing balafon players stand out next to uplifting kora solos, with fantastic percussion and outstanding voices completing the mix, together creating a beautiful kaleidoscope of sound.

For Mory, being a griot has always been an integral part of his life and music, and Sabou unites his rich musical knowledge. Hailing from a long and gifted line of griots, he has always maintained a strong interest in continuing and developing griot traditions. A remarkably talented kora and balafon player with a powerful and distinctive voice, Mory was originally taught by his grandfather and went through his griot initiation when he was 15. He joined the Rail Band in 1971 and later moved to Abidjan and then Paris where he met with global success.

With a contemporary, dancefloor approach to tradition reflecting the diversity of Mory Kanté’s musical journey, Sabou is a must-hear album.

For more information on Mory Kanté please contact Riverboat Records/World Music Network, 6 Abbeville Mews, 88 Clapham Park Road, London SW4 7BX. Tel: 0207 498 5252 Fax: 0207 498 5353 Email: post@worldmusic.net Website: www.worldmusic.net