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So yeah, this isn’t my usual fare. If you walked up to me and said “Hey fella, you should take a listen to this banging ‘global’ album by a blind couple from Mali. Oh and by the way, they are both approaching their 60th birthdays”, I would have been polite to you, but on the inside I would have been raising an eyebrow and wondering if I could escape through that window which is slightly ajar over there...
Luckily I didn’t escape.
Since 2004 Amadou and Mariam have been gaining increasing attention and it is no coincidence that this happened at the same time that they became involved with Manu Chao (one of this decades standout artists). Not only did Chao produce and sing on their 2004 album, Dimanche à Bamako, he also cemented the notion that the duo, like Manu himself, was producing global, rather than world, music.
On their latest album Welcome to Mali the duo deliver what some say is the perfect international album, sung primarily in French. From the album opener 'Sabali', they immediately make you rethink your expectation of African beats. This track is electro-pop of the highest order. And what follows is a mixture of ethnic sounds, rock, hip-hop and a liberal helping of funk.
If this album doesn’t put a smile on your face you are made of stone.
Oh and before I forget, Damon Albarn from Blur shares production duties on this album. Of particular note, he played on and produced ‘Sabali’, which was voted the 15th best song of 2008. Don’t people pop up in the strangest places.
Essential Tracks
Sabali
Africa
Unissons nous
Full Track Listing
1. Sabali (3:17)
2. Ce n'est pas bon (3:50)
3. Magossa (3:43)
4. Djama (3:15)
5. Djuru (3:35)
6. Je te kiffe (feat. Juan Rozoff) (4:18)
7. Masiteladi (feat. M) (3:56)
8. Africa (feat. Knaan) (3:48)
9. Compagnon de la vie (3:47)
10. Unissons nous (feat. Keziah Jones) (4:17)
11. Bozos (3:47)
12. I Follow You (Nia Na Fin) (4:02)
13. Welcome to Mali (3:20)
14. Batoma (4:13)
15. Sebeke (11:41)
16. Bimogo (3:56)
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