Amadou & Mariam – Folila

For a visually impaired husband and wife duo from Mali, Amadou Bagayoko and Mariam Doumbia have an impressive knack of befriending international superstars. Over the last 20 years they've racked up a stellar roster of heavyweight accomplices – including U2, Blur and Coldplay – all eager to affiliate themselves with their Afro-rhythmic grooves. And, really, it's no wonder such luminaries are knocking at the door: the pair have an ear for composing majestic, intricate melodies that are both progressive and reassuringly familiar.

Studio album number seven, Folila, mines a rich vein of inventive blues-soaked washouts. Bearing more than a hint of Yeasayer in rhythmically shamanic mood, cuts like the spasmodic Metemya and Wari throw entrancing harmonies over heavy doses of sludging guitar and piercing harmonica. In a thrilling, if sometimes predictable, journey, the ferocious brawl of Santigold-accompanied opener Dougou Badia starts on a peak from which it rarely descends. Mesmerising work.