Welcome to Mali
Amadou et Mariam
2008: Because BEC5772410
Compagnon de la vie is probably my favorite track on this strong but uneven album, with the wild Sebeke a very close second (it is impossible to not dance when that track is playing!). Batoma has a damn fine groove to it, too, but the vocals can be a little off-putting if youre not accustomed to the broader, looser sound of African singing. Je te kiffe was, I think, the track I first heard from this album and which drew me in toeither that or Ce nest pas bon; in either case it was on a streaming internet radio station broadcasting from the Balkans, as I recall, in 2009.
At the other end of the spectrum is Sabali, which apparently was quite the hit in Europe but which I cant stand because Mariams upper-register singing is downright jarring.
I cant always follow their French, accented as it is, but generally I get the gist, and theres a little English sprinkled in here and there, plus Spanish if Im not mishearing things. Which African language is primarily sung, however, I couldnt say.
Comments © 2017 Mark Ellis Walker, except as noted, and no claim is made to the images and quoted lyrics.