by Bret LoveOne of producer Bill Laswell's first world/funk/jazz fusion experiments, Mandingo are a supergroup of sorts featuring legendary Gambian griot Foday Musa Suso on kora, percussion, and vocals; Laswell on bass; and Jeff Bova and Nicky Skopelitis on keyboards and programming. The result of mixing their disparate styles is an upbeat Afro-funk sound perfectly suited for dancefloors from New York City to West Africa. Eclectic and accessible, New World Order's fusionary sound is not unlike that of Peter Gabriel's work with Senegalese singing sensation Youssou N'Dour, balancing universal appeal with Suso's traditional African influences.