Ten tracks. Ten big topics. Death. Grief. Truth. Anger. Pride. A multi-layered wall of Afro-centric rhythms played out on percussion including djembe, congas, shekere and talking drum. Rhythms bolstered by horns à la West African dance orchestras, by the guitars that came in through the port of Dakar, by chamber-beautiful strings and the edgy-weary beats and words of inner-city London.

The the magnificent Balimaya Project set out to big-up Mandé tradition and culture with their fine 2021 debut Wolo So ('Kinship').

Even more conceptual and unashamedly ambitious is When the Dust Settles, a big band project featuring a veritable Sundiata Empire-style cast of male musicians ranging in age, each one punching considerable weight, the whole an intentional safe space for black men to mentor, honour, create. The Zinli style of Nigeria and Benin underpin 'Suley's Ablution', a ballad-come-elegy replete with silvery piano, swelling strings, a ceremonial bata drum ensemble and rich, heartfelt tenor vocals from bandleader/composer/djembe maestro Yahael Camara Onono. Malian polyrhythms inform ‘Anka Tulon’ ('Let's Play'), an percussion-and-horn-led ode to brotherhood that captures their jaw-dropping live impact. Features by London vocalists/rappers such as Afronaut Zu (singing traditional Yoruba praises on ‘For Aziz’) reinforce the album's remit - to use folkloric repertoire and age-old instrumentation to express complex contemporary emotions. When the Dust Settles does all this and more. Remarkable.