"Mamadou Diabate's fourth album (and second solo effort) is a feast of bright improvisation and tumbling, breakneck virtuosity, with moments of exquisite, crystalline melodic exploration...The standard 'Allah Lake' can rarely have been attacked with such gusto, Diabate sounding like he wants to purge the tune of its Manding roll with sharp, fiery cascades. 'Joulafassa' crackles with energy too, the central sing-sing tune countered by the harsh plinks of flyaway ad-libs that are pinned down by the relentless underlying rhythm...

There are quieter moments too, where the lightly rippling strings allow space for a steadier, more elegantly structured approach; one of these, 'Douga Mansa', glistens with gorgeous, contemplative musicality and is possibly the best moment on the album. It's one of four tunes written by Mamadou (the remaining eight are traditional tunes) and illustrates a maturity and high standard of composition that remains rooted in tradition whilst taking on surrounding influences with subtlety and skill." - Con Murphy