Francis Mbappe Celebration (FM Groove) + Azouhouni I Gotta Go (Zohoré)

Afropop musicians in the West often face a quandary. Because perceptions of Africa's modernity (or lack thereof) remain difficult to supplant, the most accomplished players generally walk a tightrope between oversophistication and primitivism—in hopes of conveying both slickness and earthiness. Fans who've sampled the range of sounds passing through the Houston Street nook Zinc Bar during African Fridays know that the greatest music is right down the middle.

Perhaps the best thing about the new self-produced discs by Zinc regulars Francis Mbappe (mmm-BAH-pay) and Azouhouni Adou (ah-ZOO-nee ah-DOO) is that each musician has figured out how to let rawness temper his jazz-bred snazziness. This wasn't second nature for either expat: Mbappe, a bassist from Cameroon, directed Manu "Soul Makossa" Dibango's touring band for almost a decade, while Adou, a keyboardist from Côte d'Ivoire, has been a Disney hired hand. Both discs blend Pan-African grooves, but if Adou's I Gotta Go is the more modest of the two, it's because it's audibly DIY. This wouldn't be an issue if Adou's offhand singing matched the boppish depth of his piano and Afrobeat horn charts.

Mbappe's electric bass bubbles through the mix on Celebration, and the combination of his homespun arrangements and confident vocals (as on "Awololo Iyo" and "Wan De We") is equally winning. The credits read like a who's who of local scene makers, from drummer JoJo Kuoh ("Celebration") to violinist Mark Feldman, whose multitracking on "Banaba Africa" and "Mabolan" is ravishing. The whole exemplifies Mbappe's balancing act. —K. Leander Williams

Azouhouni plays Zebulon Thu 12.