The Wassoulou Sound, Woman Of Mali (1994)

"There are two good reasons why the music of Mali's Wassoulou region rates as a distinct sound -- the singers are women and they're not griots, which expands the lyrical content beyond oral history into current issues facing everyday people. The liner notes to this first compilation featuring the Wassoulou singers makes much of the similarities with familiar U.S. black music forms like blues, soul, and funk, but there's a lot more to the music than that. One intriguing thing is that younger-generation singers like Oumou Sangaré and Sali Sidibe have gained international recognition by going back closer to the tradition with acoustic instruments, yet veterans Kagbe Sidibe and Coumba Sidibe sound the most modern. A groundbreaking compilation that's historically important and musically inspiring." (allmusic)