Jamm, World Circuit****

Be-dreaded one-time protégée of Youssou N’Dour, this fiftysomething Senegalese singer, guitarist and drummer is now releasing his fourth album after a five-year gap. Eclectic as always, but now setting aside the darker funk elements that punctuated the last two releases, the mood is light, relaxed and upbeat. Lyrical concerns are social and sometimes religious (Lo is a devotee of the Baye Fall Islamic sect), the vocals – in four languages – are warm and engaging, and the instrumentation is mostly acoustic, nicely coloured by long-time collaborator Pee Wee Ellis’ saxophone. Latin swing, Congolese rumba, Senegalese mbalax, highlife, even afrobeat, are delivered in a friendly easy-paced style, and backed by World Circuit’s sumptuous production. Fine and mellow, and impossible not to like, this is West African music at its most accessible. See worldcircuit.co.uk

Download: I'l n'est jamais trop tard, Bourama, Jamm