Senegalese vocalist Omar Pene was at the height of his powers when, with his group Super Diamono, he arrived at Real World in 1996 and gifted a live session that blew everybody’s hair back. Heard here, on such self-penned, socially conscious tunes as ‘Giande’, a toe-tapper about courage; oh-so-funky anti-war anthem ‘Xamiene’; ‘Soweto’, a guitar-driven ode to the South African township; and even ‘Diaraf’, a paean to Pene’s favourite Dakar football team, it’s an instrument imbued with genuine emotion. Ultimately, ‘Direct From Dakar’ is a party album: an aural snapshot of a dance band in the zone and a lead singer in his element, vibing on collective energy and letting the good times flow.

Disc 1
1. Aral Sa Doom – Omar Pene & Super Diamono (5.30)
2. Mouride – Omar Pene & Super Diamono (5.43)
3. Rer – Omar Pene & Super Diamono (5.19)
4. Soweto – Omar Pene & Super Diamono (4.30)
5. Niane – Omar Pene & Super Diamono (3.54)
6. Coumba Xaliss – Omar Pene & Super Diamono (4.47)
7. Gainde – Omar Pene & Super Diamono (4.19)
8. Xamlene – Omar Pene & Super Diamono (4.51)
9. Yaye Boye – Omar Pene & Super Diamono (7.32)
10. Banna – Omar Pene & Super Diamono (5.48)
11. Diaraf – Omar Pene & Super Diamono (6.19)
12. Douweye – Omar Pene & Super Diamono (5.33)