CD Review: Bassekou Kouyate & Ngoni Ba's 'Ba Power'

Bassekou Kouyate & Ngoni Ba
Ba Power
Glitterbeat

The power of the Malian ngoni lute is highlighted by Bassekou Kouyate & Ngoni Ba's powerful rhythms, rock-tinged arrangements, and bluesy vocals ripe with African panache and deep, historic roots amidst a contemporary setting. The ngoni's stirring and entrancing sounds are intensified by the fact there are five ngonis that make up the band's sound. Traditional drums, calabash, keyboards, guitars, and horns provide a modern tone, but the music is still rooted in Malian blues and soul. There are vocal pieces, but the real charm comes from the instrumental grooves and punchy rhythms found throughout the album. Ba Power is a musical gem with occasional rock guitar displays and earthy, traditional instrumentation with a trance-filled soul. There are nine tracks in all. The vocals are in Bambara. Not to be missed! ~ Matthew Forss

CD Review: BKO Quintet's 'Bamako Today' w/DVD

BKO Quintet
Bamako Today (w/DVD)
Buda Records

Under the direction of Cris Ubermann, BKO Quintet releases a great recording of contemporary music rooted in Malian traditions with traditional instruments to boot. The new album, Bamako Today, features the music of Aymeric Krol with various instrumental accompaniment, including the dunun, donsongoni, djembe, djelingoni, acoustic and electric guitar, and drum set. The instrumentation is very organic and soul-stirring with a steady supply of affectionate intonations and historic renderings. The accompanying DVD contains musical performances of the group in a documentary format for nearly fifty-three minutes. Fans of Malian music, ngoni music, Saharan music, Afro-pop, and contemporary African music will not be disappointed here. ~ Matthew Forss    

CD Review: Ibrahima Sarr's 'Danaya Percussion Presents Ibrahima Sarr'

Ibrahima Sarr
Danaya Percussion Presents Ibrahima Sarr
Kanaga System Krush

Ibrahima Sarr is a professional djembe player from Mali that has toured the world over the last few decades. Ibrahima incorporates various djembes, balafons, and vocals on the mostly instrumental and percussive release. The thunderous drums and lighter balafon sounds aptly showcase a dynamic range of sounds that are trance-inducing and memorable. the highly traditional sounds are not bluesy, contemporary, or rock-centered. Instead, the organic arrangements of vocals, drums, and balafons make the album shimmer with a nostalgic and historic presence. The talented group of instrumentalists make the album stand out, along with the various themes revolving around medical issues, ceremonies, and dances. The extensive liner notes illustrate some of the song meanings in English. Fans of Malian drumming and African dance music will love the entrancing melodies and rhythms produced by the drums, balafon, and sporadic vocals. ~ Matthew Forss

CD Review: Anansy Cisse's 'Mali Overdrive'

Anansy Cisse
Mali Overdrive
Riverboat Records

Anansy Cisse presents a new album with bluesy, rock-infused compositions featuring Malian instruments and North African sensibilities. Anansy's mature voice is a fine accompaniment to the gritty, guitar playing. In addition, the soku fiddle, ngoni, bass, and calabash create a traditional sound overall. The lilting calabash and guitar on "Fati Ka" is top-notch. The very talented, Zoumana Tereta, is a prominent soku player and does not disappoint here. The music is electrified with an edgy presence and a historical vein. Mali Overdrive is not music that is redundant, overly-produced, or angst-ridden. Instead, Mali Overdrive encapsulates the essence of North African life with a guitar and several traditional instruments that sound like magic. If you like Malian guitar music, you will love Anansy Cisse. ~ Matthew Forss

CD Review: Lobi Traore's 'Bwati Kono "In The Club"...Raw Electric Blues From Bamako'

Lobi Traore
Bwati Kono "In The Club"...Raw Electric Blues From Bamako
Kanaga System Krush

Lobi Traore gives us electric blues guitar music straight from Bamako, Mali on his last recording before his death. The album contains nine live tracks with lively, blues guitar music, which is gritty, raw, and organic. The music is jam-worthy and trance-inducing in parts, but Lobi's great guitar calisthenics wins us over. There are traditional instruments that accompany the electric guitar sounds, including djembe and balafon. The spacious beats and inventive delivery make Bwati Kono... one of the best West African recordings in recent memory. Lobi followed in the tradition of Vieux Farka Toure and Zani Diabate. This is not an acoustic guitar album. There are many long instrumentals in between the vocals, which aids in the incredible musicianship for all to enjoy. Lobi will be missed; but his music will live on. Enjoy it today! ~ Matthew Forss

CD Review: Habib Koite's 'Soo'

Habib Koite
Soo
Contre-Jour

Mali's Habib Koite releases a stunning album, Soo, which means "home,"  that brings to life the music of North Africa and Mali in particular. Habib is the lead vocalist and guitarist on the album, but he is joined by other instruments, including bass, keyboards, calabash, kora, n'goni, doun doun, djembe, banjo, and others. The eleven-track release traverses the Saharan spectrum of musical ingeniousness. The rhythmic tunes combine with Habib's soulful vocals in Bambara, Dogon, Malinke, and Khassonke, to provide a fascinating listening experience overall. The poignant and catchy "L.A." is an excellent example of trans-cultural musical exchange with the banjo taking center stage with Afro-Latin percussive elements to boot. The sounds emanate in a beautiful delivery without fault. Anyone familiar with Habib Koite's previous works will love this new, adventurous release. Fans of Malian contemporary music will be pleased, too. ~ Matthew Forss

CD Review: Tiecoro Sissoko's 'Keme Borama'

Tiecoro Sissoko
Keme Borama
Kanaga System Krush

Hailing from Mali, Tiecoro Sissoko is a talented vocalist and guitarist in the Djeli tradition of West Africa. Tiecoro is joined by Madouba Camara on kora and Adama Tounkara on djeli n'goni. The rather acoustic offering is rich with scintillating strings and cascading vocal harmonies emanating from the spirit of Malian griot traditions. The relatively acoustic feel is very melancholic, relaxing, and meditative. There is a mix of instrumental and vocal music throughout. Unfortunately, Tiecoro died in 2012, but thankfully, his music will live on every time the album is played. The combination of kora, guitar, and djeli n'goni makes the music come alive and dance around in the listener's soul for a truly engaging and momentous result. Fans of Malian guitar music will appreciate it. ~ Matthew Forss

CD Review: Abou Diarra's 'Sabou'

Abou Diarra
Sabou
Mix N' Metisse

A talented n'goni or kora player from Mali, Abou Diarra brings a funky and bluesy element to contemporary Malian music. Each song is delicate and contains weaving song structures with traditional instrumentation and modern embellishments that will satisfy even the most picky Sahelian music connoisseur. The music celebrates Bambara life and society, which is diverse, varied, and historic. There are eleven long tracks that entice and entrance the listener with such grace and tranquility that it is difficult to turn it off. "Sabou," "Aboubono," "Blablabla," "Noumou," and "N'dogoni" are some of the recommended tracks. Fans of contemporary Malian music with the kamala n'goni or kora instrument as the focal point, along with vocals, will love Abou Diarra's latest release. Buy it today! ~ Matthew Forss 

CD Review: JeConte & The Mali Allstars' 'Mali Blues'

JeConte & The Mali Allstars
Mali Blues
SoulNow

The rise of Mali blues music in the 1990s gave way to several notable performers in Africa and beyond. Perhaps, the best known is Ali Farka Toure. Ali is mentioned on a track, but his son, Vieux, adds vocals and guitar accompaniment on "Le Monde Pour La Paix." JeConte is a vocalist and harmonica-bluesman from the USA. JeConte is joined by a plethora of star-studded appearances by Souleymane Ann, Khaira Arby, Sidiki Camara, Doussou Koulibaly, Bassekou Kouyate, Moustafa Kouyate, Boubacar Sidibe, Adama Drame, Mahamadou Kone, Sekou Bah, and Vieux Farka Toure. The entire production is rather organic with laid-back, swirling rhythms and melodies marking the blues genre with an international flavor seldom-seen before. The project was recorded over a two-year period in Bamako, Mali. There are twelve tracks that showcase African blues music and the awareness of the people from Mali. The guitar work gets a little rambunctious at times, which is not particularly deleterious. Anyone into Malian guitar music and blues tunes will love JeConte & The Mali Allstars. ~ Matthew Forss 

CD Review: Vieux Farka Toure's 'Mon Pays'

Vieux Farka Toure
Mon Pays
Six Degrees Records

The late-Ali Farka Toure's son, Vieux, releases a new album, Mon Pays, which means, 'my nation.' The album was born in Mali and represents an audio examination of current troubles, situations, and traditional practices. This is a great Malian recording with all the charming folk instruments one can handle, including the calabash, djembe, ngoni, kora, shakers, turtle shells, bamboo, triangle, and kourignan. The upbeat melodies and North African rhythms set this recording apart from others, because there is such a scintillating texture of catchy, enthralling, and memorable tunes. There are ten tracks in all. There are instrumental and vocal moments throughout. The earthy vocals are as harsh as the Saharan sands at times, but that is part of the brilliance overall. The galloping music is perfect for fans of North African music, folk music, Saharan music, and Malian musicians. Own another fine piece of Malian music before it is too late. This is a fine addition to any musical reper-'toure'. ~ Matthew Forss

CD Review: Bassekou Kouyate & Ngoni Ba's 'Jama Ko'

Bassekou Kouyate & Ngoni Ba
Jama Ko
Outhere Records

Mali's ngoni masters, Bassekou Kouyate & Ngoni Ba, bring us another amazing treat, Jama Ko. The ngoni lute, an instrument hailing from Mali, Africa, creates scintillating sounds that are kora-like. This is Afro-pop at its finest. There are featured artists, including Khaira Arby, Zoumana Tereta, Taj Mahal, Kasse Mady Diabate, and Amy Sacko. There are chilling male and female vocals that would win-over fans of Mali music without a doubt. Some of the songs are more upbeat and include organ, drums, and electric guitar. However, the majority of songs are steeped in the rich, cultural history of Malian music traditions in a contemporary format. Overall, the fine list of guests and engaging ngoni blues are something worth listening to. If you get a chance to see the group live, do not miss it. There is a limited, 2-LP release of this title, too. ~ Matthew Forss

CD Review: Ballake Sissoko's 'At Peace'

Ballake Sissoko

At Peace
No Format/Six Degrees Records
 

Mali’s kora master, Ballake Sissoko, once again joins with cellist Vincent Segal on an addictive, nine-track release that is aptly-titled, At Peace. The soothing, melodious echoes of the kora, gentle guitar picking, classical cello, and harmonious balafon make At Peace a required listen for fans of Malian music, world fusion, classical, and instrumental music. The album is void of vocals, which accentuates the instrumental prowess from Vincent, Ballake, Fassery Diabate, Aboubacar Diabate, and Moussa Diabate. The scintillating sounds of the kora provide a relaxing, though somewhat jaunty, musical result. The instrumental exchanges between Vincent and Ballake are very fluid and seamless—the result of joint African and European connections over hundreds of years. Fans of Malian fusion will love the rustic nature of the compositions, though they are recorded with very high quality equipment. ~ Matthew Forss

CD Review: Mamadou and Vanessa's 'Faso Mali'

Mamadou and Vanessa
Faso Mali
Self-Release

Malian blues are captured on the latest release from the Malian-native and California-based, Mamadou Sidibe, and his wife, Vanessa. The fifteen track release contains richly-textured songs loaded with great instruments indicative of Mali's Wassoulou region, including kamale ngoni, keregne, kousouba, balafon, calabash, djembe, guitar, accordion, and bass. To give listeners an idea of what the songs are about, one need not look any further than the track two: "Ali Farka." Though, the music is not steeped in electric guitar throughout, but it does contain the bluesy lines that made him popular with the world. Vanessa's playful "Beautiful Thing" is an an English song with folksy accordion and Mamadou's Malian vocals. Many of the songs contain bright melodies and heady rhythms that are both traditional and contemporary. In short, this is the best recording of Malian music this side of Timbuktu...literally. ~ Matthew Forss

CD Review: Makan Badje Tounkara's 'Sodjan'

Makan Badje Tounkara
Sodjan
Buda Musique

Mali's Makan Badje Tounkara is a gifted composer, arranger, singer, and n'goni soloist. Makan is joined by bass n'goni, djembe drum, tama drum, fle gourd, krin scraper, and several vocalists. Nana Coulibaly, Gedon Diara, Adama Diabate, Fatoumata Kouyate, Modi Tounkara, Yakouba Sissoko, Djifili, Modibo Diabate, and Mamadou Tounkara round out the personnel. The lilting strings and plucked lutes combine with light percussion and energetic vocals to produce a very organic result. The n'goni is the star of the album. Having been popularized by Bassekou Kouyate and Ngoni Ba, the n'goni is a charming little instrument with aural sound qualities and raw outcome. The melodies are slightly blues-tinged, but Afro-folk melodies are the main concern here. There are a few wholly instrumental tunes, but vocals are presented on almost every track. Fans of Malian folk music should not leave this one behind. ~ Matthew Forss