Fatou

“Fatou” Diawara would seem to have everything going for her. Born to Malian parents and now based in Paris, she’s young, good-looking and has already enjoyed a successful career as an actress and a musician, working with the great Malian diva Oumou Sangare. It was Sangare who introduced her to World Circuit, a label with a famously limited but distinguished roster, and she prepared for the release of this debut album with a series of shows, both as a soloist and with a band. On stage she showed confidence, charm, and a cool, clear voice – but at times seemed a little derivative, playing acoustic guitar like the early Rokia Traoré and with inevitable echoes of Sangare in her songs.