Baaba Maal performing Cherie, live at the Royal Albert Hall in London, UK. The song in the Mbalax genre of Senegalese pop music & was released on his 1998 album Nomad Soul. The lyrics switch between English, French & Fula (Maal's native language).
It's in the key of D major and features a kora solo intro (0:00-0:30) before moving to an ostinato that cycles throughout the whole song as other instruments & vocals are added. The chord sequence D Bm/F# G then emerges as the song develops and the acoustic guitar, keyboards, bass and horns are added. The kora is a beautiful 21-stringed Senegalese harp-like instrument with a large gourd for the resonating chamber. It is often featured in mbalax music and the musician often plays a cyclical bass line, chordal accompaniment and melody. In this song Maal blends the kora with the acoustic guitar which is fairly common in mbalax songs.
06:24 sees the entry of the sabar drums - traditional Senegalese drums that are played with one stick and one bare hand. There are usually 7 different sizes of sabar - each playing a different role. The solos/improvisation are played on the highest-sounding called an n'der. The word 'mbalax' refers to a rhythm played on the sabar (mbung-mbung drum) that plays the main rhythm.
The talking drum can also be heard (07:54-07:57). This hour-glass shaped drum is known by several different names throughout West Africa (dondo, kalangu, ekwe). This drum would have originally been used as a form of communication as it can play many different pitches. The Wolof (largest ethnic group in Senegal) call it a 'tama' and it is usually called a tama in mbalax music.
When the drum kit enters (at 06:29), after a few bars of playing a classic slightly syncopated straight-8's groove, the snare drum plays a 'tresillo' (06:48) groove (same as 1st half of 3:2 clave rhythm) that is one of the most popular rhythms across the globe - originating in West Africa it now also features heavily in Cuban, Brazilian and even in pop/rock music (check out Ed Sheeran's Shape of You!). This groove inspires Maal to rap in Fula & French to bring the climax of the song.
Baaba Maal (born 1953) is one of Senegal's superstar mbalax artists. He studied music at University of Dakar and post-grad at the Paris conservatoire.
For full notation of this song and DVD with parts breakdowns, see Mike Simpson's Teach & Play African Drums: www.rhinegoldeducation.co.uk/p...