The Independent, UK
‘Mory Kanté’s band have been thoroughly road-tested, and their seamless, superbly performed set drew largely on his spectacular acoustic album, Sabou, along with reworkings of a handful of his Afropop hits from the Eighties. Their sound ranges from Kanté’s intricately delicate guitar picking to dense, multilayered soundscapes flowing across the inventive work of his two balafon players.’

New York Press, USA January
‘Griot, kora player and singer Kanté is to Guinean dance-folk what Caetano Veloso is to Brazilian Tropicalia: an untouchable master of form, funk and subtlety whose oral histories should be as historical as any holy text. After not having performed in New York City for 14 years, Kanté comes representing the acoustic funk of Sabou, a CD filled with ancient traditionalism kept sacred while being pushed into modernity – a cool rootsy groove whose dusted nastiness makes the Dirty South seem as spotlessly gleaming as Kraftwerk’s Dusseldorf studio in comparison. Like singer Salif Keita only chattier, Kanté’s richly textured voice lives each portrait he paints – even if you can’t tell what he’s singing.’

Time Out New York, USA January
‘…perhaps the most surprising change of heart came last year when international star Mory Kanté dropped Sabou. The slickness dominating his recent albums is gone, replaced with the ancient sounds that nurtured Kanté’s riveting, acrid voice before the world came calling… That means Kanté’s first appearance in the States in 14 years (as part of the Public Theatre’s second annual globalFEST) will be markedly different from the last two, when he rocked Central Park and the Apollo Theatre within months of each other. Like Maal and Keita, however, Kanté hasn't given up all the tricks he’s learned over the years: A few tracks on Sabou, most notably the subtle boogie track ‘Mama’, are evidence that Kanté is still adept at making his native traditions work in da’ club. Bet his touring band is prepared to field praise songs or Afrodisco.’

New York Times, USA January 12
‘Mory Kanté performed his first New York City concert in 14 years on Friday night at S.O.B.’s with a band of acoustic instruments. It wasn’t traditional music; it was Mr. Kanté’s latest, and best, pop hybrid… The songs, like griot songs, are full of conscientious advice: consider consequences, share kindness and compassion, cherish love and knowledge. They often used the long, asymmetrical melodies of griot songs, circling through a few chords with Mr. Kanté’s kora and a pair of balafons sharing trickling, meshing patterns at the centre of the songs. A wooden flute and two female singers joined Mr. Kanté or responded to him. But the songs had brisk unison hooks too. And along with West Africa, the music held glimmers of the Caribbean and the Americas: a hint of a reggae backbeat, a rumba lilt, a steady 4/4 thump connecting the Mandeng rhythm of "Biriya" to dance clubs. From the music's transparent patterns, flurries of activity leaped out: Mr. Kanté plucking his kora in brusque, insistent off-beats and then dissolving them into swirling arpeggios, or the poker-faced virtuoso Adama Condi on balafon, suddenly skittering through the music at triple speed. Just before 3 a.m., Mr. Kanté got around to "Yeke Yeke," proclaiming it "acoustique" and "traditionelle." It was all dance music, and it brought a world of experience back home.'

The Guardian, UK - 3***stars
‘His new album Sabou was one of the best African releases of the year, with its mixture of subtlety and energy… He came on in white robes, surrounded by a band that included ancient instruments like the bolon, which acts like a bass, and the balafon, the African xylophone, along with an array of percussion and an electric guitarist… He started full-tilt and stayed that way, so by the fourth song he had the audience on their feet and joining in the massed percussion. There was little variety, but there were some great moments, thanks to his powerful vocals, the rousing work from his three matronly backing singers on new songs like Mama, and some virtuoso balafon solos from the laconic Adama Conde.’

The Independent, UK
‘Once the purveyor of Afro-Western dancefloor hits, with Sabou, he has returned to his West African roots, and as live experiences go, it is hard to beat. By the start of the irrepressibly buoyant ‘Loninya’ (‘Knowledge’), the audience is on its feet and streaming down the aisles to dance, and that kinetic energy is sustained by the rousing encore of his Eighties hit ‘Yeke Yeke’… The music tonight is a sea of multi-layered sound patterns, endlessly permutating from balafon to kora to guitar and a panoply of percussion that builds up like the musical equivalent of perpetual motion, both extraordinary physical and powerfully hypnotic. You hear phrases and lines repeated time and again, bubbling and metamorphosing in the mix, around which flow seemingly effortless instrumental and vocal improvisations. Kanté’s famous voice is as emotionally powerful as ever, and with the new music from Sabou, he is at the pinnacle of his career.’

The Herald, Glasgow concert in The Arches - Four****stars
‘Orchestra is no overstatement here and an orchestrator is what Kante proved to be, conducting his charges through the stop-start intricacies and densely textured accompaniments, and using his three backing singers variously as a horn section, massed surrogate synthesisers and a ululating choir responding with high-pitched, shapely phrasing to his insistent, singing calls… although he didn’t play it [the kora] himself last night – preferring acoustic guitar and kora – he had a master exponent by his side, hammering out patterns that flew over the beat with an air of nonchalance that belied the effort and imagination involved… there was much perspiring as the drum section created a fervent clamour behind Kante’s songs… His song Sabou speaks of the many problems Africa faces, but it’s an optimistic message and one thing’s for certain: when they do overcome them, if Kante’s band is involved, there’s going to be on helluva party.’

Sunday Herald (Glasgow) 31 October – 4****stars
‘Another of this year’s star attractions was the Guinean griot Mory Kanté, one of the original pioneers of the world music movement… Kanté recently returned to his roots with his acoustic-based album Sabou, the format of which was echoed by his 10-strong accompanying entourage, featuring balafon, African flute, traditional percussion and three backing singers as well as his own kora and acoustic guitar. The charismatic centrepiece of a thrilling performance was Kanté’s searingly urgent, resonantly forceful singing, but further highlights were provided by the brilliantly tight-knit interplay between balafon and kora and some splendidly ferocious djembe solos.’

The Scotsman, Glasgow concert in The Arches - Five*****stars
‘He may look like a cheeky youthful chap, but there’s a wealth of experience behind Mory Kante’s big brown eyes and infectious smile… as a result, last night’s Arches performance was something of a cultural-lesson-cum-concert, as the West African singer introduced us to a whole array of gorgeous instruments and music from his latest acoustic release, Sabou. We boogied to the balafon and the bolon, clapped along with the kora and tapped our feet to the talking drums, as Kante, resplendent in white, sat centre-stage leading his colourful nine-piece band… each member played an invaluable part in producing a warm and intoxicating sound with standout displays from the three female singers with golden vocals who shook their hair and swung their bright costumes in time to the music while grinning from ear to ear. The wide-eyed drummer dished out super speed rhythmic tricks. The multi-layered and intricate sound was so huge it was hard to take in at times, but, if you let the soaring melodies wash over you and the percussion sweep you off your feet, this was magical stuff.’

Evening Standard
‘Triumph of the kora king… the traditional instruments behind him – wooden balafon xylophone, ngoni lute, kora harp; tama, doundoun and djembe drums – hinted at a return to rhythmic roots. Kante’s waterfall of percussion, swirled towards the high-pitched harmonies of his backing vocalists, found counterpoints in poignant wooden flute and the balafon’s enchanted plinking. It was like peering under the lid of a West African music box, with Kante and his soaring tenor at the centre.’