African music fans, or at least some of them, are a notoriously precious bunch. They hunt out music that seems “authentic”, raw sounds rooted in tradition. So when an African musician has the audacity to embrace 21st-century pop technology, these fans can become a little uncomfortable.

Or at least they used to. It is probably unwise to suggest that Damon Albarn, for all his influence and self-importance, has single-handedly changed perspectives on global music. But his Africa Express shows - where the cream of that continent's musicans are given the opportunity to jam with British indie types - have definitely broken down barriers. Where once fusion was seen as an unpleasant commercial exigency, now it is promoted as a cultural imperative.

The latest album by Amadou & Mariam, a blind Malian couple, feels like Albarn's dream made flesh. In the past five years, the pair have become perhaps African music's most potent export, making glossy and cosmopolitan records such as Dimanche à Bamako. Welcome to Mali, however, goes further. It is a busy, frequently ecstatic record, where string sections, Canadian-Somali rappers, French pop stars, reggae rhythms, Malian kora masters and, yes, Albarn all jostle for space.

Mostly, the chaos is brilliantly orchestrated. The sheer joy of the pair's voices and tunes such as Batoman and Sebeke are strong enough to cut through the mêlée. Some of the experiments are dazzling, too - notably Djuru, which pits Amadou's serpentine guitar against the great Toumani Diabaté's kora and a drowsy hip-hop beat.

Occasionally, though, Amadou's guitar playing struggles to be heard. On Sabali, the producer and co-writer Albarn removes it completely, preferring to underscore Mariam's warble with chintzy synths and a melody strikingly similar to his BBC Olympics theme. Fusion and modernisation might be laudable, but what if they obscure the strengths of an artist, whether they're from Africa or the West?

It is a question that Amadou & Mariam will have to answer as their success grows and more musicians flock to work with them. Otherwise, they might find themselves lost in one giant global jam.

(Because, TS £13.99)

www.timesselects.co.uk/music

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