Senegalese vocalist Omar Pene was at the height of his powers when, with his group Super Diamono, he arrived at Real World in 1996 and gifted a live session that blew everybody's hair back. Heard here, on such self-penned, socially conscious tunes as 'Giande', a toe-tapper about courage; oh-so-funky anti-war anthem 'Xamiene'; 'Soweto', a guitar-driven ode to the South African township; and even 'Diaraf', a paean to Pene's favourite Dakar football team, it's an instrument imbued with genuine emotion. Ultimately, 'Direct From Dakar' is a party album: an aural snapshot of a dance band in the zone and a lead singer in his element, vibing on collective energy and letting the good times flow.
