Africa music reviews

The Gnawa people of Morocco arrived in the country as slaves centuries ago. They now perform hypnotic healing music that combines ancient indigenous and Islamic sacred syncopations that's unlike any other music on the planet. The Marrakesh-born gimbri master Hassan Hakmoun, who once worked with Peter Gabriel, beautifully marries Western pop grooves and synths with those ancestral anthems. This CD is his most accomplished to date; instead of a sterile superimposition of styles, it's a true hybrid that produces something equally old and new. On tracks such as the gospel-toned "Syada Ana," "Sala, Allaho, Alaik," and "Mimouna," the tantric derdeba tones power the percussion. "This Gift" is a dreamy midtempo duet between Hakmoun and the pop vocalist Paula Cole. Hassan Hakmoun's syncretic sepia tones give a new color to world music. --Eugene Holley, Jr.