It was as a member of West African feminist supergroup Les Amazones d’Afrique that Rokia Koné’s name and extraordinary voice first began to ring out far beyond the borders of her native Mali. Among those captivated was Garret ‘Jacknife’ Lee, the Irish producer best known for his work with U2 and Taylor Swift. He collaborated remotely from California with Koné during lockdown on her debut album Bamanan – 10 electronica-dipped, gossamer groovy songs of joy, pain and fury sung in Bambara, the most widely spoken language in Mali.
Lee was originally billed to appear with Koné at this Celtic Connections date but had to pull out due to a scheduling conflict. Accustomed to performing in Bamako’s clubs for hours on end, Koné has more than enough star power and stamina to enchant a crowd without him. Sashaying around the stage in a flowing white dress, flanked by guitarist Thierry Fournel and keys player and beatmaker Manu Lechat plus a pair of perma-dancing female backing vocalists, her ragged vocals rip through the dry ice-clouded air during dreamy opener Bi Ye Tulonba Ye with a tremendous power and presence verging on the unnerving. Even without a microphone she’d probably still be the loudest thing in the room.
