Music in Exile

That was ok

I prefer Ali Farka Touré, but it's still good Songhai, just maybe more forgettable.

I really enjoyed the songhai/afro-rock side of this album, but I thought the blues side was really underwhelming. Cool album overall, tho.

I remember this one coming out (unlike most of this list!) - it's an important album for introducing non-Western styles to more recent generations of Western listeners. A catchy blend, named "desert blues" 3 - deserves to be on this list

I think this is a fine album, but nothing stands out to me in particular. Maybe I'm not a blues person.

These guys were great and I enjoyed what was going on but I just can’t see myself listening to much of this in my free time, and I do like understanding the lyrics of the songs I listen to, so the language barrier was a bit of a restraint on how much I could absorb from this album.

This was so good!! I feel bad that these guys don't seem to have much recognition. I really enjoyed listening to this and I thought it was very well put together in most aspects. The vibe also seemed to change seamlessly towards the end and it finished on a completely different note to how it started.

I guess the music was fine but it was more of a holiday that was good whilst it lasted and not a destination to revisit.

Really cool sound with harmonies that really compliment the music. In a way I think the language barrier benefitted this as I was able to focus on the way the words fit with the melodies better.

This was coo. Didn't blow me away, but this is the kind of stuff that I'm here for.

Fell apart at the end but was decent enough musically for the first few songs to hold on to a 3

It's not bad musically, but I'm a lyrics man.

Desertic

Musical gold

My dad used to listen to this kind of music so I have a degree of fondness for it. That said, every song sounded basically the same.

Solid album, maybe would be better if I could understand the lyrics but they sound pretty repetitive so maybe I’m not missing much. Interesting mix of styles and adds a variety to list which it very much needs

GREAT!

Not my style, but talented for sure!

Actually was great musically. I have no idea what the lyrics are and felt they were too constant rather than rhythmic with the music. I wouldn't listen again but it was interesting

Wouldve been super cool if I could understand it.

A good album with great playing. Good singing that will get stuck in your head. It’s not the best thing I heard but I’m glad I heard it

It’s good. I don’t think I’ve listen to much African rock if any and this is a nice album to introduce the style. Although I can’t understand what they are saying I don’t mind it at all. If the music is good the music is good.

3/10 музыка племенных нигеров

Lots to like here, the fantastic musicianship, the call and response vocals, the fluidity of the music. You get a real sense of place, of songs from a deep cultural well. Played well, played with soul

Sjovt og anderledes. Hvis man skal høre noget andet end man plejer.

i'm passingly familiar with music from Mali, so expected the ripping guitar work, which is great! like desert-blues breakout Tinariwen, this is just a little bit too shiny to really scratch the itch for me, but that doesn't diminish how talented the players are. doubt i'll be back to the album but man, these guys must absolutely smoke live

Really good vibe

Súper interesante la fusión entre música tradicional africana, rock, blues. El álbum tiene unas joyitas que voy a pasar a integrar en mis playlist. Super buen descubrimiento . Hubo algunas canciones que si no me encantaron

Glad this was brought to my attention. Really cool. Into the desert blues.

??? Oh, desert blues, tuareg blues, aus Mali, so gut, blind fünfer...c

Pretty cool, I’ll probably never listen to it again.

Idk what this is but its a 5/5

What a beautiful record. It is filled with soulful music that makes you want swing and miss a place you have never been to. I will have to give this record a few more listens with the translations at hand. This might be one of my favourite albums of this year and it is only March. Gems like these are the reason why I love 1001 albums

A Powerful album, with great musical strength built on a powerful message of heritage and the act of living life as resistance. This is one of those albums I am very happy to have learnt, and I am sure to check out more of their work and their story. Next to their story the music it also just slaps. Mixing bluesrock with their own cultural style, creating a wonderful style that feels both new and familiar to a western listener.

These dudes rock harder than like 80% of current western bands combined.

This is the kind of different, if a little samey, that I like

This was really enjoyable! I'm not typically a blues fan, but I really liked this. Very unexpected. :)

Eh. It mostly feels like African-tinged commercial music. Which like sure. Some of the songs are pretty good. It just doesn’t really reach me. None of the songs really stick out, even the pretty great second song is just a little too bland to love. Like, believe me, I don’t speak this language, but that is NOT the problem. If this was good the language barrier wouldn’t matter. Eve when they kinda lock in toward the end, it’s just too bland and unimpressive to give a passing score. 5.3/10

These boys I have heard before and boy have they got an infectious sound. It sits in the same sound world as bands like Khruangbin and other modern western outfits like them. Blues guitar grooves bound up with Arabic and Eastern influences results in absolutely hypnotising energy that I've listened two twice through back to back with ease. Sometimes it helps that you can't understand any of the lyrics because the unfamiliarity means you can process and enjoy it in quite a different way, without being distracted by outstanding lyrical poetry, or conversely terrible mundane dross. I have to assume these guys are singing the former, because I don't speak the language, but damn it sounds good.

This was amazing. The music itself is phenomenal. I read a bit into them, and now their message is even more profound to me. This album carries the legacy of their homeland, despite the oppression and the upheaval caused by the MNLA and Ansar Dine. Unquestionably a 5/5

It was fine, but very samey

It feels weird to do a vibes-based review on something that, as I understand it, is supposed to be a collection of modern takes on Mali folk songs. I always struggle with reviewing songs in languages that I don't speak, since I don't know what's being said, especially with music where the lyrics are clearly a big part of the songs. With that said, I liked what I heard; I just wonder how I would review this if I actually understood the language.

Oh damn, this is immediately entering the rotation

Me temo que cometí el error de leer que son una banda de Malí expulsados de su tierra y hacen blues desértico y luego de eso entendí. No sé qué tan sano sea entender el contexto porque me pongo re soft Y los quiero valorar por su trabajo. Bueno igual es música Africana y el beat me gustó, no me cambió la vida pero me gustó. Un tre

Dope

Perfect example of an album I would've never encountered without this list!

Mali is an untapped reservoir of amazing artists. These Toure boys are just a few. Great musicianship and the language of music is universal.

loved this, and love to be reminded of the musical connections across the african diaspora!

I really enjoyed this one. I may not have understood the lyrics, but I really enjoyed the way they were sung and I loved the guitar. I really liked the energy of the songs. Fav song: Petit Metier Least fav: Wayei

Quite enjoyed this one. Guitar was pretty good if a bit samey. Didn’t like the slower ones. Specific rating - 4.1 Fav song - soubour Least fav - mali

I really enjoyed the sounds of this album and reading about them makes the title all the more meaningful. You can really feel the emotions in the music even if you can't understand the lyrics (and google was very little help on the lyrics). Always lovely to hear a good album I never would have sought out without the list. Favourite song: Petit Metier (also loved the first couple of songs) Least: Al Tchere Bele

I am admittedly a sucker for this ripping kind of tuareg guitar music- but this is not I think as significant a tinariwen? Either way does not really matter, this is unbelievably exciting and good blues. Damn. Musicianship great, vocals great, message and defiance against totalitarianism and the bravery of making this? Great.

DELICIOUS. I loved every track on this album; the depth and growth of the music across each song and the album as a whole was a sheer joy. I feel sorry for people who think that if music is in another language, they can't enjoy it fully. This had me groovin!!

I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this one. A couple of the songs were bangers, but the rest weren't my cup of tea. Overall pretty strong.

Great riffs. Loved it

Did not get why this was included. It was fine but not stand out

I liked this Album It's got dirty parts that sound like the origins of bayou southern rock/blues mixed with Fela Kuti. I liked it, but nothing to hold on to past it just being interesting. 3/5

Good blues. Can’t understand the lyrics

repetitive but not bad

Pretty good

The songs were fine but kinda droned on without really changing in any way

I bet if I spoke this language it would go even harder.low 3

Pretty cool! A couple songs were kinda basic I guess but it all sounded good

Totally enjoyable but repetitive

Solid album

Glad I heard this!

I might use it as study music - I like the rhythmic style, different vibes for me for sure though

A very excellent rock album! I appreciate the fusion of traditional African music and western rock. Did not resonate with me fully on the first listen, likely due to all the songs being in the artists native language, but that is a me problem

Amo como suenan las guitarras y las diferentes maneras que tiene para tocarlas... me gusta la combinación instrumental tiene, amé

Each song is fantastic - unique and standalone but collectively make the overall sound of the album stand out as a fantastic showcase of the genre "dessert blues". This album feels very distinct to Mali and the Sahara dessert but the music could match the feel of the SW US, western China or even Antarctica. Just a great album

I have no idea what’s being said but I still feel like I understand it. Incredible guitar vibes. I really enjoyed this.

This is an example of why I love this site. I've never heard of this band before and now I'm a fan!

Redundant

Interestin enough eh

I was FEELING this. Loved every song.

The performance is high level, but musically there's nothing much going on. Same ideas repeated ad naeseum. I appreciate that the project is trying to diversify the entries but beside the origin of the album, musically, it's not a must listen.

Hell yeah. Something I would have never experienced if not for this app! Seriously had me bumpin around. I will definitely be relistening to this.

No es mi estilo pero pues no es malo, los ritmos y los riffs son rescatables. Valoro mucho el origen de la banda y el contexto social y politico del cual viene.

I feel there is a greater level of appreciation I'm missing out on with this record from not speaking Songhai. I'm left to evaluate the music on its own merits, and the resulting mix of blues with Songhai musical elements is very intriguing. Songhoy Blues are clearly a talented gang, and while nothing was exactly revelatory, the music here had a passion that was evident from start to finish. The production is also fine, although I tend to be skeptical of the modern blues sound.

?????!!!! FUCK YEAH, this was awesome!!! Don't know what I was expecting but definitely wasn't expecting this to be an album where I would end up liking all the tracks. Easiest and immediate four stars I've given. EDIT: Moved it to five stars now :)

Nope. Didn’t need this.

A very unique sound. Africa takes back the blues, hell yeah.

1.6/5 I'm a lyrics guy so when listening to a band from Mali who don't sing in English I find it hard to enjoy it as much. The music was solid although it did get a bit repetitive towards the end but it's a solid effort for this band to be included in the top 1001 albums of all time when not to be insensitive, but the majority of people would never had even heard the band let alone the music.

que RANDOM

No idea what was being said, but I felt it!

Saved? ✅ Would listen again? ✅ Would recommend to anyone? 🤔 Would buy on Vinyl? ✅

a pleasant surprise though nothing spectacular

Really enjoyed this album especially the more blues influenced songs.

Nice instrumentals. Foreign language but their emotion is enough to understand. Would listen again either way.

This album was really good!!

A very well crafted album, even from a blues perspective. I have to admit that I'm frequently very impressed by the chops of West African musicians and their ability to take genres readily known by me and meld them into the sounds of their native countries, it makes for a listening experience simultaneously fresh and yet still comfortable. On the end of the unfamiliar, I also find myself frequently enjoying the licks and riffs on this album- they're often angular and acrobatic in the manner that Midwest Emo guitarists are while still retaining the gritty and garage-y feel of blues musicians- tracks like "Irganda", "Ai Tchere Bele", and "Jolie" stand out as examples here, not to mention the complex time signatures utilized in the project. It feels like the album also covers a wide range of moods, some tracks far more upbeat and dance-able, others a bit more downtempo and contemplative. I simply wish I could understand the lyrics, I feel like that would elevate my experience a bit further, especially given the context of the band forming do to coming together in political exile.

It's not every day you get to experience a genre for the first time, and even less frequently are those new genre introductions this good. I don't understand a word of the Songhai dialect being spoken, but I really don't care, this absolutely slaps. It's like bluesy cajun music with a harder edge. The guitar play is so absurdly fun, and obviously the focal point of the band's sound, but there's constantly also little pieces of maraca or the woman in Wayei or whatever in the world is being played in the background of Sekou Oumarou that ground it so perfectly. I find it hard to describe the almost nostalgic feeling this music brings about for a place I've never even seen. It's a practically overripe fruit of a project that's dripping with soul. I can't get enough.

This rips from start to finish with incredible guitar work. The playing is sharp, fast, and constantly driving the songs forward, blending desert blues with a kind of scrappy rock energy that’s hard not to love. Not every track fully sticks with me, but the guitars alone make it an exciting, high-energy listen.

Never heard of them. This is a fantastic find. On my playlist for now.

This was honestly pretty impressive. I'm not usually that into blues or afrobeat as I find them a bit repetitious in many instances (I prefer jazz which has more versatility), but this was the a good marriage of both. Really talented musicianship and catch tracks which even had my kids singing in the car ("Maliiiii, mali"). My only gripe is that some songs are a bit too repetitive, but good all around. 4/5

I had no idea who these guys are so I was a little surprised to hear a bluesy world band. Desert Blues is what their genre is referred to. It was an easy listen, enjoyable but nothing game changing but something different and it was fun. 3 stars

Really enjoyed this album, great upbeat dance songs

Yeah, this is some great stuff!

Didn't understand a single thing, but this felt like some drugs were put into the songs - the music, the melody was so good and live, while the sound of their voices gave a nice boost. Really enjoyed this!

Usually, I am not a big fan of music in languages I don't understand. And I did not expect to enjoy this album as much as I did. No chance I am going to put this on and listen to it casually, but I did really like it.

Perfectly acceptable, but nothing really grabbed me.

No idea what they're saying but this was cool.

мм сразу представляю себя маленьким бедным индейским мальчиком

Super cool sound

Defo not my vibe

Tbh listened to it in the background, but it seemed good

Good rock

Honestly a very solid album. Great mix of both western influence and Mali culture.

I really enjoyed this to begin with. Some of the riffs in the earlier songs were extremely funky, really refreshing and right up my avenue. The slower, bluesier songs later on lost me a bit, but I think that's just because I didn't understand the lyrics. Really good album regardless though!

Not for me.

I remember when this album came out. I loved it then still love it now.

من افضل تجارب البلوز في حياتي قصه الالبوم كفاية تخليك تقدر تعبهم حتى لو ما تحب الجانرا

sommige trackjes zijn wel gaaf wil eig 3,5 geven

Great singing, but the guitar playing gets a bit wearing and the drumming is very basic.

African Bluesrock Album, that is the best when it embraces african influences. Also some Standard Blues Songs on it. Fav: Al hassidi terei

14/02/2026 1. soubour - reallly nice guitar... very bluesy. bass is great as well. 2. irganda - bass is really nice again. *3. al hassidi terei - liking the drums in this one... love the guitar at about 1:30. groovy. 4. sekou oumarou - alright. not much to say lol. enjoying it, but none of the songs have that oomf to push it into something i really like. 5. nick - really liking the guitar at the start. guitar solo is great! 6. al tchere bele - really loving the guitar at the start. love the rhythm. *7. wayei - sounds really sweet. love the backing vocals. really lovely :) *8. petit metier - more acoustic.... don't know what he's saying, but it sounds more emotional? really liking the vocals in this one. just got to the beat drop.... folksier... *9. jolie - liking the second half of this more, from track 7 onwards :) love the backing vocals again. 10. desert melodie - interesting rhythm in this one. love it. 11. mali - really sweet/sentimental. assuming it's a love letter to where they're from? great acoustic guitar. wasn't mad on this at the start, wasn't bad to listen to, but didn't grab me, maybe because i don't understand the lyrics? but reallly loved the songs from track seven onwards. more acoustic and emotional, but still feel like i'm missing something without understanding the lyrics. maybe will listen again when i don't have a bad cold and a banging headache to see if it helps me to focus on the emotion :)

Loved hearing something new and different I otherwise never would've listened to.

Not really my music style

je comprends rien mais c'est agréable (c'est faux en plus ya une musique en français)

After the first 2 tracks I was on Discogs looking to buy the album, but at the albums close it felt a bit flat. Sounds like they put their best up front as the other albums are similar starts. Interesting listen. 1. Soubour 2. Irganda 3. Nick

Beats

1 or 2 bangers, overall enjoyable

High quality. There’s so much Malian music that could be on this list. I don’t know enough, I’m sure, to say which Malian albums are essential. But this sounds so, so good. Lively, bluesy, involving.

this is a sample of "desert blues", a genre of rock music hailing from the northwest parts of africa; and it's pretty cool listening to new genres you're aren't familiar with. this blend really works for the most part, african melodies that make you want to sing along in a call and response manner with cool rock backing tracks... a lot of it is really good but some of it sounds like a ford commercial.

Hell yeah. This is why I'm here! Never heard this one. Ripping solos and great composition throughout. Very cool.

Africa makes it interesting and exotic.

An album with soul, I couldn't understand a word, but I could feel that whatever they were saying was deep, spiritual and political. Sometimes you need to take a break from Western music, and listen to music with a greater purpose than just being the image and the star of the project, that's the real rock.

Desert blues with a modern twist. Surprised by this one - you can’t help but bob your head.

Great discovery

ts fire bro

Fun sounding and unique songs!

Baller displaced refugees refusing to conform to a jihadist takeover? Say less

Loved the instrumental and desert blues but felt like the lyrics didn’t match well with the rhythm and beat

idk what this was but it was good.

really good sound, didn’t understand a word but i enjoyed.

freakin desert blues from mali in native language

Bridges the gap between traditional american blues rock and the more typical tuareg music. Very cool. Good for anyone wanting to dip their toes into that sound.

Yes! Something new and great! I loved this. I'm a big fan of desert blues, starting with Tinariwen a few years ago which then led to Mdou Moctar, all great artists. I can understand why this isn't everyone's cup of tea due to the language barrier, but let's be honest, most of us don't know the lyrics to half of English pop songs, I certainly can barely understand Nirvana, let alone global superstars like Sai or Bad Bunny for those of us who don't speak Korean or Spanish. The music speaks for itself, I don't need to know the words. This album hits nice and hard, give me more!

Sehr coole Musik, die ich ansonsten vermutlich nie gehört hätte. Intensiv in Gesang und Spiel, schöne Vermischung verschiedener Sounds.

Been a fan of desert blues for awhile through artists like Bombino - but this is a whole new level. To listen to these guys and not see how all of rock and roll came from the traditional rhythms of Mali and west Africa! The blues, the rock, the funk - I know the gene is based in repeating sections, but the sound is hypnotizing in the best of ways

I'm yet to hear an African album i don't like. Is it the groove? Is it the vibe? I don't know, it's just cool.

Great Album

So so good what a vibe they were throwing down, apparently Timbuktu punk

I am all for expanding my horizons when it comes to music. It's easy to get caught in the trap of only listening to music from a select few countries, but there are so many unique scenes in other parts of the world that add some new flavor to what one might be used to. I wish I could say that more so about Music in Exile, and while it certainly has a unique sound, I lost interest in that sound pretty quickly. The call-and-response style vocals combined with the groovy percussion works pretty well, but for this album in particular I think it gets old fast, mostly due to the lack of variation. I am glad that Music in Exile is at least represented on this list, it gave me something to listen to that I've never heard of before. Soubour is a great opener and a fun song to get you into their sound. Obviously I don't speak the language, so I can't really analyze this lyrically, but from what I could experience it lacked depth overall. Nonetheless special in its own way, at least for a little bit.

Interesting, but not for me.

Super great vibes and the beats are beautiful. Ali Farka is def an influence and that makes this all the better

Short, sweet and very different. Favourite Track(s): Irganda Least Favourite Track(s): Nick

Good music. Reminds me of cooking with my dad. Four.

не мое

Me gustó mucho mucho !!! La música nueva que esperaba la vdd jajaja me sorprendió y las recomendaciones después de escuchar el álbum tmbbb muy buenas!!! El cover de Should I Stay or Should I Go me agarró de sorpresaaaa!

A nice bop

one of my favorite new experiences from the list, absolutely loved it. Listened to it pretty much all day

not a genre i have ever listened to before but immediately loved

Fuck yeah. These guys absolutely rip. Every song repeats just enough so that you get the plot, but there is constant innovation on the theme.

Desert Blues > English Blues

Great music with an interesting background and influence. Not only a toe-tapper, but a finger drummer too.

Rebellious but energetic

I’m not familiar with African music But this album was fantastic

I can't understand a word they are saying ...

2/5 for sawyer 2/5 for Colton (absolute boring buns)

Nothing for it nor nothing against it. Its a neat little mix of African music and blues. Leans a bit more into their roots. I enjoyed it well enough. Not really my bad but I was decently happy throughout. Neat concept to see but maybe not all the engaging for me personally.

Musically, this is decent. I can't follow along with the vocals unfortunately but reading about this album, the story and passion behind it is fascinating. Not really sure if I'd put this in the book though.

Lovely.

It’s great to hear a straight-up rock record coming out of Mali, especially one shaped so clearly by displacement and resilience. 𝘔𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘤 𝘪𝘯 𝘌𝘹𝘪𝘭𝘦 blends desert blues with tight, modern guitar work in a way that feels both familiar and refreshing. Still, the album doesn’t hit me as hard as I hoped, and within the context of the 1001 list it feels like part of an overcompensating push to represent African music more heavily. A solid listen, but not a standout for me.

Total diamond in the rough here. This album stands as an icon against oppression, thus perfectly employing the blues medium. Because (to first-world citizens) it comes from an utterly foreign context, it succeeds at delivering a novel yet relatable listening experience, and compels listeners to empathize with the reality from which the artist sings to us. The outcome? A profoundly meaningful, even transcendental listening experience. I realize after listening to this one that, in order for an album to qualify as must-hear, it must first qualify as must-make. Having made this connection will undoubtedly change my approach to evaluating entries on this list from here on out. Under the circumstances, I sense that Songhoy Blues felt existentially compelled to create this work. I fundamentally believe that doing so remains the correct decision. Given its political motivations, and inherent statement of dissent, I posit that the value of this release meets, if not exceeds, the impact that RATM's self-titled debut carries. TLDR - 5/5, and redefines what deserves 5/5

3.5*/5 01.30.2026

Appreciate the significance of this, and I liked hearing the blend of blues and West African sounds. Wouldn't say it for me as excited as, day, summer of the Ry Cooder stuff that came on when I let Spotify keep playing.

To be completely honest, most of my knowledge of African music revolves mostly around Fela Kuti and a few Mbaqanga comps I've heard. This is more of a guitar blues record with Malian influence. It's very repetitive, not in a drony way, but repeating patterns and riffs throughout the song. Vocally it has almost a call and response style where the main vocalist sings a line or lines, and then they are repeated as a group. As a blues guitar record this really isn't for me, and it's more interesting when they lean into their African roots, specifically on the album's closer, Mali. Not adding to the collection.

Loved this! Some classic blues riffs - a little nod to some v old fleetwood Mac on track 2 or 3. Spun this twice!

Holy shit this is great!

More like this please!

Good playing, excellent groove and bounce to it, but not being able to latch onto the lyrics is a shame. With some artists, their vocals can just be a texture but it sounds like the lyrics are important to them on this.

Love it when something different comes up. Super groovy. I really enjoyed this.

very different to what i’ve listened before lyrically but loved the vibes

Good, but not my thing.

I want to like to but I can’t get around it

Rien de transcendant, mais au final cet album est plutôt agréable à écouter !

Three stars for a new artist to check out but kinda boring.

Good enough. ★★★

Solid fusion of Western African rock and the blues. Nimble guitar playing with crafty rhythmic interplay. Stomping low-end rhythms that can get groovy. Sing-along songs because they chant variations on the same thing you can’t understand the whole time. It’s a fun listen, and feels meaningful and emotional knowing their story. It also gets repetitive and doesn’t feel like the songs really go anywhere - there’s no build or major sense of tension and release. That makes a lot of it start to blend, so songs don’t pop and become memorable. The type of album I’ll enjoy any time I hear it, and then completely forget it until my memory is jogged.

Loved this.

I have all the time in the world for desert blues.

So glad this record is on this list. I've been a fan since it came out, theur next album Resistance was pretty good too but here's a great starting point to West African music.

catchy

achei divertido e muito diferente

this was so sick, exactly the kind of album i’d hoped to get through this thing - an absolute banger which i would’ve never stumbled across myself. also consolidates my belief that lyrics are the least important part of a song because i don’t know what these guys are saying but by god do i know what they are SAYING

More Malian bad boys. Works for me.

Groovy!

Thoroughly pleasant music from Mali. I enjoyed the guitar playing in particular along with the call and response singing. Blues traditionally ain’t my bag but this was an easy album to enjoy. Rhythmically, it transcends “the blues” and there’s more melody in here than you can shake a stick at. A great example of why this project exists. I’m not sure I’ll revisit this particular album many times again but it deserves its place here. Interesting story behind band too, I’m glad they’re documenting their challenging experiences in this way. Music is politics. Music is protest, A good album indeed.

Great tunes

Whatever I was expecting it wasnt this. It was brilliant, some good guitar in there. I didnt understand a word but was singing along anyway.

Well cool. Upbeat and fun. I just have to trust it's not about bludgeoning kittens and shit because I don't understand a single word. Most of the world music on here is really good and not something I'd ever encounter in the wild. These guys can play.

Good reminded me of Santana

There’s like three songs on here that sound like truck commercials scored by the black keys and then every other song on here is a beautiful intricate weaving of American blues with Malian music from a group of excellent musicians. It’s like biting into a new food that’s delicious but every few bites it’s nothing but cucumber in your mouth. I personally hate it even though others don’t but also like why is it here because it doesn’t mesh super well with the rest of the dish. Either way I’m glad I learned about it.

It was really nice to listen to it, I liked the language and the funky sound .

Totally new to me, fantastic find!

Has a nice mix of blues with African rhythms

Good vibes!

1 or 2 that I had a little groove going, but mostly music I am not into.

They may have the Blues, but it made me pretty Jolie.

I liked this. I did myself a disservice by looking up the genre before listening. Seeing it listed as ‘desert blues’ set up wild expectations that it was not able to meet. Maybe a future album will include Brant Bjork and John Garcia.

Excellent. I wentbinto this knowing nothong about the band or the album. The qlbum rocks along effortlessly.

Rock and roll from Africa! These guys from Mali can lay down the boogie-woogie. This is not "world music" to be played in the background while you shop at a hipster boutique. This is full-on stomping, sludgy kick-out the jams guitar wrangling. I like!

Didn’t understand a word but this album has tons of vibes and the message comes across clear

Sitting in a frozen car waiting for the inner part of the windshield to thaw because the car hasn't been turned on in 6 days. Blast this music and chill in your driveway for 25 minutes

I appreciate the addition of a record produced for and by Africans, specifically from the 21st century. So much of the western perception of African artistic practice revolves around primitivity, or is washed with a sense of underdevelopment: “stuck in the past”. That being said, this record grooves hard and plants Mali firmly in the present! After some research, I discovered that the origins of the record derive from the band’s experience living in Jihadist occupied northern Mali, where cigarettes, alcohol, and MUSIC were all banned. After moving south they all formed a band and cut a record about their collective liberation via a return to music. I wish I knew exactly what the lyrics are conveying. The motif of repetition is strong in this one and it really cements the auditory message they’re trying to send. I like this a lot! -Ruby Ditto what Ruby said. I’m not the biggest fan generally of this kind of pentatonic rock but their emphasis on groove has earned them a new fan. —Noah

Well this is a little different. Very western rock n roll but not western it seems

Malian rock. Inject this straight into my veins! Awesome, even though I don’t know what they’re singing about. Driving guitars and rhythms. Love it. Instant 4 but could easily become a 5 with another listen.

I loved this! I have never heard this style of “desert blues”! This makes me want to do research on Mali!

Dont know what they're saying but it sounds good. 3.7/5

A really pleasant listen, with lots of great guitar work. I didnt read the lyrics, so this was a surface level experience for me, but one that was interesting enough. 3 stars.

I’ll admit that I didn’t think that the blues had much, if any life left in it. (Hardly the most robust survey, granted, but my repeated doses of RTR’s “Spoonful of Blues” failed to conjure even the mildest interest in Shazaming.) Songhoy Blues – the boys from Mali, living in exile, keeping home alive through their music – are very much alive, though. And in their capable hands it feels like so is the blues. A 200w Marshall stack is the ideal defibrillator; the boys from Mali can certainly play. Ably assisted/produced by Nick Zinner (maybe just coincidence, but it’s quite touching to see a track listed on this record called “Nick”) the whole thing sounds so completely, irrepressibly alive. It’s an electric shade of blue that rings with an unmistakable fervour and passion.

Loved the instrumentals--only, I wish they were separate from the vocals.

I was so worried when I saw the number of listens this album had on Spotify, but I came away pleasantly surprised. It’s really cool to hear music by non-western artists, and this style of blues sounds great. I’m a bit too generous with 5 star reviews and I know I’m gonna revise some of those in the future, and this album fits snuggly in the “5 right now and probably a 4 later” category.

though I feel like blues music is really the foundation for a lot of modern musical genres, sometimes it can be difficult to hear how it can sound fresh. this is so fresh and fun to listen to and im grateful to be able to see how blues is incorporated with Mali music. fascinating to see a genre that originated in the US but with African influence make its way to Western Africa to something new

The bluesy rift to kick off the album sets the tone and doesn't let up for 39 minutes. I really enjoyed this one, 5/5

Oh boy! I love when a band I've known a long time that is pretty obscure gets recognition somewhere like here! Hopefully others enjoy this; if so, I think their second album (Resistance) is especially worth a look! And in general the adoption of Blues music by Malian/Saharan "Desert Blues" musicians is a really cool micro-genre: check out Tinariwen and Ali Farka Toure. Ugh Review didn't save again. This is a great album; the mix of saharan and blues genres is really top. Particular Highlights are the opening track, Petit Metier, and Al Hassidi Terei. But I love the whole thing start to finish. Unapologetic five stars. I just wish my longer review had saved :(

Every once and a while I am curious about what music from non-Western cultures breaks into the Western mainstream that heavily informs the universal musical cannon that these books and projects are trying to define. I'm glad this one broke through and it's definitely fun and merits a place in the conversation. However, I don't think it's a perfect album and that it could have benefited from a bit more work and editing.

Look, out of all the West African psych-rock I listen to, this is not my preferred album. I love a lot of this album; there's a sheer joyfulness in music I find missing from a lot of European and American bands, who seem more concerned with performing a seriousness that's not necessary. The idea to incorporate a lot of folk/classic stylings over electric instrumentation ends up being thrilling just in its way to perpetuate the beat without leaving the listener feeling as though they've been dragged along. I do wish I got a little more of everything; the vocals, the riffs, the drumming were all exciting but abridged too soon. Didn't leave enough of a breath to truly sit with it and enjoy it.

Even if you hate the music, you must give this album a five. Why? Very simple. It's one of the few albums on this list you need to hear before you die? Why? Because you will learn something about music listening to this album. Because it is something very different to the rest of the album. Because it should be the reason for this list, i.e. to broaden your music knowledge. And if you already know a lot about Tuareg music you will probably like it anyway.

Pretty good album

4 stars A rare moment of something cool that I knew nothing about before. This is interesting, fun, sounds great, and is not overly long. It makes me want to return to it. I was a bit worried going in but came out enjoying it a lot.

Great energy, great rhythm. Need to dive into the meaning.

Very, very good. The kind of album this list was made for. It's music to dance to in dusty juke joints, but it's also good for a deep sit-down listen with the headphones clamped on. Really the kind of music this list was made for since it's something I would never otherwise stumble upon. Album also has a pretty cool backstory behind it (discussed extensively elsewhere I won't retread it) that makes me wish I could understand the lyrical content. Honestly there's been some really cool rock coming out of Africa this last decade or so to keep an eye on. fav tracks: Jolie, Irganda, Al Hassidi Terei, Nick

I like afro beat, afro psych, afro funk. I enjoyed listening to this album and it has a lot of ferocity and speed that ive come to love in afro music, that said this was a little too guitar forward and pop for me. Serves as good background music for me but I can see the appeal for others.

What a surprise! Enjoyed the African-blues mix. Will definitely listen again!

Erikoista, ihan jees. 2,25/5.

This is awesome and makes me wonder which other great albums could be on this list instead of all the other boring English ones...

Honestly not sure what to expect here. Sounds pretty awesome so far. Great blues riffs. Can't understand the lyrics but it's pretty cool! This was a nice album. But 3 stars.

Great music, but hard for me to jive with when the songs aren’t in english

Good! I don't really hear how it's different from Mdou Moctar and others, but it's good!

Forgotten how good this album was! Worth checking out Tinariwen if you like this, they're another band from Mali who had to struggle against the Jihadist regime that banned music in the country. If I've got one slight critique it's that the songs blend into each other a little too much. But that might just be my untrained ear to that genre of music.

Good beats. Put it on for dinner

This was really interesting. The first few tracks were really catchy and I really liked the edgy, riffy vibe they had, but then toward the end, the verve kinda died out and I wasn't as into it. The tracks where they're just grooving on some hard-hitting surf-rock kinda stuff were great, but then they transformed more into a spartan, tribal sound near the end. Overall it was better than I might've expected for the genre and given the language barrier. Three stars.

Very groovy, some parts of the language I didnt understand but the music was all very catchy and easy to dance and vibe to

3.5

This was definitely a pleasant surprise! Never heard of this band from Mali, nor any other musicians from Mali. From the first song I was digging this sound, they are fun and have a great vibe. I bet I'd like it even more if I could understand what they are saying. The layered, circular guitars with African rhythms is pretty cool. After listening to it through 2 times, I have already liked 7 out of 11 songs on Spotify - and I can't wait for them to show up in my automated playlists. I could see myself possibly liking more upon further listens. And now I want to check out some of their other albums Liked songs on Spotify: 7/11 Rating: 4/5

Started slow, but got better.

Interesting and I liked it. Great guitars. Super unexpected. A genre I didn’t know existed.

Nice mix between African rythyms with guitars. Al Hassidi Terei was a catchy tune.

The blues and rock in this album is good, the instruments are catchy and play bluesy riffs, the voice tho idk not just my thing, wish i could understand it too

This one is fun!

It was neat. The story behind it is slightly more interesting than the music. Still...enjoyable.

Rich vocals, soulful instrumentation, crisp production. Very little not to like.

I liked tb

Thought this would be American R&B like Boyz to Men. Never judge a book or cd by its cover, anyway. Really enjoyed this, an unexpected pleasure of African modern blues. Fela Kuti meets Orchestra Baobob. The fact that one of the songs is named Nick, my name, is a bonus. This is the reason I'm doing 1001 albums to discover new music I like, that otherwise would never have crossed my path. Probably 3.5 out of 5, but Friday and feeling generous so rounding up to 4 out of 5

An interesting album because there were some tasty grooves on here but I’d it one of the best albums of all time? No.

Some interesting sounds. I don’t understand the lyrics but worth a listen.

Musically this was great, and I am sure based on the wiki that this tells a great story, however partly due to the language barrier it wasn't for me. 3⭐️

Awesome groovy good listen.

It wasn't bad, but I don't see why it would be in 1001 albums you must hear.

This was a great listen, even with the language barrier. I was pleasantly surprised and found more than a few jams that were catchy and enjoyable. Which was particularly impressive, since I do not consider myself a fan of blues, usually, but I liked their spin on it.

I don’t know what the fuck is going on but these boys are spittin. Very good musicality on this album.

I liked this - nothing stood out to me but nothing was unpleasant to listen to either. A fun album to listen to on a walk.

7.5/10 Not my usual type of music I listen to but very funky and I enjoyed it!

The musical imposter in me always makes me nervous on albums like this. It has quality and weight, but I don't know where to put it. There are more enjoyable and recognizable elements to this album than other world music entries, but I feel like I am missing the bigger story.

It was ok. Didn't stand it but now I have listened to music from Mali

Very imaginative and nice grooving (thought it was a little bit like talking heads??)

I liked it— took me to the second song to realize it wasn’t in English but Blues transcends such petty concepts as language

Nothing too notable. Very average.

This album is a fantastic example of why this process has value. I would have never listened to this album otherwise, and have never heard of the band. Yet I find myself really grooving with it and enjoying the sound despite not understanding the lyrics. Call me a fan.

Did my home work with this I hope it's in another language and it's not me being too tired to understand the lyrics Good shit

Surprisingly good.

Mwhua not my cup of tea

Really enjoyed this much more than I thought I would. A fun experimental sound.

precisely one note. it's a nice note, but it's one note. "soubour" is the highlight of the album for me because not only is it a very lovely song but by virtue of it being the first track i was not exhausted with the album yet. this is SO guitar forward it's hard to think about anything else. it's practically nothing but the very bluesy electric guitar. i'm not particularly familiar with the fusion genre of desert blues (and ofc it's always anglo-fusion albums here, never anything notable on its own cultural terms, only on anglosphere terms), but the guitar work here is to me the least interesting part, so it's unfortunate that it's so dominant on this album.

So this list CAN choose music from outside of Europe and North America! I mean, it's once again heavily inspired by the obligatory inspirations for acceptance into the anglosphere, but I'm more forgiving of that given the nature of the bands origins. Especially because this sounds great! This is a very guitar forward album so to make 40 minutes last that guitar work needs to be good, and here it is damn good. It is really helped along by the production too, and it makes for a very consistent album that I'd really recommend listening to. I guess one could complain that it is a bit one note in spots, but given the runtime that really did not bother me like it would in an hour plus album. * On second listen I am editing this down a point, whilst I really like the sound I do think it wears out its welcome a little by all being very similar songs.

I really enjoyed this record! I loved the instrumentation and how energetic the songs were. Reminded me of a band called Mdou Moctar, who I believe have a similar backstory. Anyway, really good music. I dug this.

Really powerful story and cool sound.

Did not think I would like this, expecting a very bongo-y world music sound but was pleasantly surprised. Sung in native Mali language but the guitar-playing was phenomenal and the overall rhythm and sound was very enjoyable! A solid 3.5, but will round up since I was proven wrong.

Soulful and exciting. A wonderful debut album that combines the nostalgic blues of the 50s with Saharan sounds in a fresh and new way. Best Tracks: - Soubour - Sekou Oumarou Worst Tracks: - Mali Rating: 8/10

4/10 - Fav song: Irganda

I dont understand the words but im sure its very powerful based on the description. its good blues, i like it

A really interesting album, sonically and musically! Took me a minute to get through and maybe not one that I’ll personally return to often but very glad I listened.

Ok, but not brilliant

funky, fun, not super my thing but pretty good. probably 7/10 but round down

Kul ørkenmusikk

Interesting songs. Not too bad but not super engaging.

I liked and enjoyed listening to this, but it is really disadvantaged not being in English. I will give it three stars as it is.

A pleasant surprise for some enjoyable African rock. Can't understand the lyrics but the guitar overcompensates. 6/10 (3/5)

A few months ago, as I was (again) complaining about the overabundance of mediocre pop-rock on this list in a review, I wished for a bit of Malian blues for a change... Today, my wish is at last fullfilled ! I had not heard about Songhoy Blues, but as a longtime fan of Ali Farka Touré and Boubacar Traoré, I'm really stoked to see a new generation of gifted artists carry on their legacy. It's a bit sad that Traoré himself is not on the list, but these guys are good enough to make him proud. Music in Exile is a solid desert blues album, with competent musicians who bring a modern sensibility and more dynamic rythms to the genre while retaining that laid-back, bittersweet vibe I've always loved. There is also no weak song in the entire album, and it never gets boring. Considering the tragic context in which this album was first put together, it's surprisingly full of luminous moments, which somewhat makes it all the more heartbreaking (and speaks to me on a very personal level, since Timbuktu is a place I know and love). It's a bit rough around the edges, and I kind of regret that they didn't go far enough in the renewal of the genre, sticking relatively closely to the fundamentals of traditional Malian blues. However, considering it's a first album, it's quite understandable, and I'll gladly give a try to their later works. Will definitely listen again. 7/10

I was skeptical at first when I saw the names Albarn and Casablancas in these Malians background, and when some reviews insisted this wasn’t really world music. I expected something stripped of local character. Instead, it turns out to be genuinely Malian electric music, with strong John Lee Hooker vibes. Naturally, it works perfectly for me. Malian blues, less rigid and less binary than its American counterpart, pretty much guaranteed to hit the spot. I also tried their last album made last year, and it is even better. Still, it’s a shame the lyrics and their translations aren’t easily accessible. Given their troubled background, I would have really liked to read them and not only understand few French words.

Catchy Blues, Rock; in a language I don't understand. Lovely vibes. "Mali" – wonderful song!

i really liked the composition of the music. different language threw me off a little but pretty good

🔥

Good while washing plates

This needs to be listened to at least to know that this music exists.

i didn’t understand a word on this album, but most of the songs had a great groove to them.

Liked the music, but obviously would’ve enjoyed it more if I could understand the lyrics. Love the backstory of the band! 3.5/5

Awful

Interesting and unexpected and fun. I liked the first half more, it had more hooky (perhaps, more western) melodies and felt more 'groovy'. The second half felt more traditional, still good, but I don't speak the language and there wasn't as much for me to go off of. Interested in listening to the rest of their stuff.

Not sure how to score this one. It’s fine, but I don’t vibe with it. I wanted to like it, but the rhythm isn’t for me. Al Hasidic Terri starts like something off Zepp IV then turns into the same groove has all the other tracks. The more Western sounding Nick and Soubour were the standout tracks. The influence of the blues is evident on this, and the rhythm hints at the influence blues from Africa had on the very early Delta blues. It’s all a bit meta.

Another year has ended. 2025 has come to a close. With the year now over, I can now reflect on everything. This year kinda sucked. Between all the political bullshit, personal struggles including a loss of a pet, and the fact that I was generally stressed throughout the whole year for many reasons including those two other things led to this being a year that I can't call good. It wasn't all bad, obviously, but it's not a year I'll look back on fondly. As for the album project? It went decently well this year. I do think 2024 was better, but this year had some pretty great albums. But where does my final album of the year, Music in Exile by Songhoy Blues, stack up? Well, I've actually been keeping track this whole year of my personal ranking of each album that the year has given me. In case you're wondering, first place was Remain in Light and last place was Kid Rock. Some real high highs and low lows if you ask me. I've decided to put Music in Exile at number 309, right above Trout Mask Replica. This album's okay. It's certainly one of the most obscure albums on the list seeing as it doesn't have a Wikipedia article. I wonder how the 1001 Albums guys even found this album. Apparently a few journals praised it highly, like the Guardian and NME. Of fucking course it's NME. It's always NME, isn't it? Whatever. Let's talk about the album itself. The music itself is good. I like the guitar riffs and such. That's probably the best part of the album. I will say that some of the songs, namely the opener "Soubour" do kinda give "Ford Commercial" energy in their production, which surprised me. The vocals work. Unfortunately, I have no idea what these guys are saying on account of the album being so obscure that I couldn't find the lyrics or translations for said lyrics anywhere on the internet. I'm sure they're saying things that are good and all, but the lack of available lyrics makes it harder for me to appreciate the themes of the album, you know? Maybe if I could find more info on this thing I'd be able to appreciate it more. Who knows? I do have respect for these guys. Apparently they came from a somewhat difficult background, so it's nice to see them earn some level of success for their efforts. But still, I can't really say that this is the kind of music that I see myself revisiting in the future. It's good, but not for me. 3/5. See you in 2026, everybody!

I listened to it but didn't hear it. Not my bag.

Favourite Songs: Al Hassidi Terei Sekou Oumarou Nick

First listen

Loved this. Not a typical genre for me but enjoyed it the whole time.

Cool to explore a new genre and music from a country I haven't explored. Enjoyed the sound but it felt repetitive after a while.

*Cool, unique blues sound

I loved this- a pleasant surprise