A few weeks ago I stumbled onto a CD by a musical duo called Amadou & Mariam. This blind couple from Mali who have become superstars in their native Africa and legends in the world Music Genre have released about 8 albums since they met each other at Mali’s Institute for the Young Blind in the seventies.
Over the last two years, they have not only played at festivals all over the world, WOMAD, Lollapalooza and Latitude, they have also come 15th on Pitchforks Top 100 Best Tracks of 2008 and have had huge success with their new single “Sabali” which was produced by Damon Albarn.
I have yet to listen to all their albums, but by far the album “Le Meilleur des Années Maliennes” has been an album that I cannot stop myself from listening to. It’s a great album to start with, especially if like me you hadn’t heard much by the couple at all and seem to prefer more traditional African Blues.
However, if you’re looking for a more contemporary record, then “Welcome to Mali”, released last year would be a place to go. It’s a far more up-to-date take on World Music, infusing Trip-Hop, African Blues, Electro and Dancehall in a way that makes the couples music sound far bigger than you would ever expect.
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