A Kouyate playing ngoni, where have we heard that before? Andra, Bassekou Kouyate's younger brother, single-handedly invented the bass ngoni and, until recently, was a member of Ngoni Ba, his brother's band ('Bassekou' is a musical tribute to his elder brother). Andra now formed his own band Sèkè Chi ("in the footsteps of our ancestors") and in so doing is not simply copying his brother's sound, but on 'Saro' introduces us to a slightly rougher more pop and rock and even reggae ('Maningakan') infused version of Malian music. The title of the album and the eponymous song in the track list, are an ode to Andra's brother Boubacar who passed away in 2008. For the vocals, Andra called on his wife Mah Bara Soumano, but Ami Sacko (Bassekou's wife) and Amadou & Mariam, also make an appearance. Varied and extremely enjoyable debut effort from this younger Kouyate-sibling!