Music in Exile

3.5/5 - I listened to this 2, almost 3 times through, and enjoyed the "desert blues" quite a bit -- good guitar sounds. I'd probably put the lead track on a mixtape. I don't think I'd explore more in this sub-genre, but this was worth a few listens for sure. Rounding up because it's not from the 70s or British.

Cool and worth a listen but probably won't come back to it

Favorite Track: Nick

Je

Really dig their sound.

Cool but couldn’t connect with it for some reason. Maybe the guitar heavy production.

Great album and vocals.

Good funky stuff. Complex rhythms but still sounding loose and flowing. Well worth the listen

From the opening chords of ¨Soubour¨ you know you’re going to be in for a treat. Without even knowing the background of the musicians, the ¨Sahel/Sahara¨ rock pulls you in and smothers you with a warm blanket. I can’t say I’ve ever wanted to go to the Sahel but damn if they don’t produce amazing musicians. Mali is a mysterious, vaguely dangerous sounding place, well off the beaten track for all but the hardiest travelers. Still, if Songhoy Blues is from there it can’t be all bad. The ¨desert blues¨ genre is a bit broad and vague but the two things that unite the musicians across the region are incredible guitar lines and rhythms that make it impossible to sit still. ¨Irganda¨ is a bit more tribal, with some call-and-response vocals and a beat that won’t let you go. What did this music sound like before they added electric guitars? I’m not sure, but it’s a natural fit and the world is better for this. ¨Sekou Oumarou¨ is slow, catchy, perfect for a smoke session in the shed behind your parent’s house. Bob Marley who? ¨Desert Melodie¨ sounds like something you’d be listening to in a tent in the desert at night- it’s one of the most relaxing things I can imagine. What I love about this record and records like it is how you can put on something good, regardless of genre or language and still relate to and vibe with it. I don’t know what me and the Songhoy Blues guys have in common, but hearing something they’ve put out into the world (with love) reminds me that we’re all human. Best songs: ¨Soubour,¨¨Sekou Oumarou,¨ ¨Desert Melodie¨

No idea what this was, but way more enjoyable than any expectations. I could listen to it again if need to

Not a bad listen and it’s got a groove, just nothing I really clung onto. It’s different from what I usually listen to so I’m glad I got exposed to it, but I don’t have much else to say about it.

vibey. Felt very alt at times

Wonderful discovery

I didn't understand the lyrics but the music was great

I was delightfully surprised by this one. The guitar sounds like Jimmy Paige meets Chuck Berry. Really high quality production. Definitely will get a respin and a dive into more of their discography. 3.7 outta 5

Fine

Pretty good but nothing stood out. Would listen again but not over a lot of other things

This is the kind of thing that I was hoping to be exposed to while doing this project; instead, it's been mostly 70's folk rock. I cannot understand any of the words, but I can feel the emotion behind them. More of this please, algorithm; less Radiohead and less Crosby, Still, Nash, and Young. 4 stars.

Good, interesting music

This album has such a vibe. I especially loved Irganda

Pretty chill. I liked the weird time signatures.

Amazing discovery. Gorgeous music and a powerful, inspiring story of resilience and resistance.

Entirely new listening experience for me. I'd never heard any desert blues or even anything from Mali, so I went in completely blind and was pleasantly surprised. Soubour added to Liked Songs.

Quite enjoyable though does get a bit repetitive

It's fine. But Mdou Moctar and Tinarawen are much better

Such musicianship, clarity, and rhythmic joy

Typically good African beat but the single bar repetition in practically every track became tiresome. I was glad when it got to the end. Didn’t give it a second listen as I couldn’t take any more. I bet Peter Gabriel and his WOMAD lot were all over this like a rash

A good mix of African and American music. I probably won't go back to this again, but I'm glad I listened to it.

Not my jam

intersting worth another listen

I quite enjoyed it although I'm not really used to this kind of music. But it looses a bit tension to me with the second half of the album. Weak three stars for their exile-debut. favourite: "Nick", Sekou Oumarou", "Soubour" 2,5

When I signed up for the project these kinds of albums were the ones I was looking foward to, those that transcends the usual bounderies and that otherwise would be overlooked. I dont understand the language, but the vibes are magestic.

Interesting listen and glad I've heard of these guys now.

Musically it was good - great melodies and a nice harmonies! A couple songs the lead vocals had a diff sound to them and they were hard to listen to. Probably 4 stars for the music and 2 stars for listening to an album in another language… so in balance 3 stars

Very good

Cool album Standout songs: Soubour Irganda Nick

I didn't put any of these on my liked songs, but it's still getting a 3 for the instrumentals. I wish I knew the language.

Музыка: 7/10 Разнообразие: 8/10 Тематика и вайб: 8/10 Цепляемость (отдельные песни зашли): 7/10 Реиграбельность (можно ли рандомно врубить на фон): 7/10 Итог: 7.4

78% Best: Irganda; Sekou Oumarou Must-Hear? Not quite

Bit dull apart from one good song

I had ZERO idea of what to expect when I got given this album, but what I found was an incredibly groovy and infectious blues album. I don't know if "desert blues" is an official genre, I just know I'm now a fan and need to find more of it.

Perfect tunes for moving to another place.

A couple fine songs but most is 🍑

I love this album. The guitar work is just insane and the rhythms and beats are just mind blowing. Reminds me of Trout Mask Replica in places due to how it constantly subverts my expectations of the beats. And it's super catchy as well, I'm gonna have "Al Hassidi Terei" stuck in my head for days

Surprisingly good album. Had not heard of them before.

Pretty great. I don't understand why people rate music a one just because the lyrics aren't in English

Blah

This feels like a filler album to get the diversity and spread rating of the list up, there were interesting sounds but nothing made me thing its a "best albums of all time"

World music like this is cool. I probably don't need a whole album of it, but this was a solid listen nonetheless.

yes!

This is absolutely gorgeous

I dunno, I'm not a fan of bluesy stuff. And this is pretty repetitive. And never was a fan of guitar noodling.

Definitely unique but not for me

4.2

Bluesy rock. Ferocious and beautiful at times

Solid listen. Some songs carried a lot of similarity to others but worth the experience.

They should call these guys the white keys

You know what? for not knowing what they're singing about, I dig their sound.

Not so much bluesy as pop, musicality was great with some very nice guitar work. My problem was I found the singing very monotone. But overall a fun album.

Fun record with an interesting story, I think it would help more if I could understand the lyrics as the vocals aren't the main appeal for me. The band's performance has a good groove, it is quite polished and in places feels like it has a very modern pop production. I also thought several of these were really catchy and stand out. I would go with a 6/10

Something novel, wonderful bassy crunchy vibes throughout , and a breath of fresh air.

Fantastic mix of western licks and African rhythms.

I wasn't expecting this, but it was very interesting. Definitely something new and unique, so I appreciate that. I was pleasantly surprised. I liked it.

Has an interesting way of emerging you into the music, not really my taste but I really appreciate the different culture 3/5

Great sound from an international group and a pleasant listen

Really good blues rock music

Une super découverte, parfaite pour une après-midi post-soutenance à attendre le train qui a 1h40 de retard ! Je l'ai écouté au moins 5 fois de suite. Formidable.

Songhoy Blues has an incredible story behind its formation and quite frankly, it’s probably the main reason it's on the 1,001, list. Songhoy Blues is made up of a group of people from Timbuktu, Mali. They were forced out of their home during civil unrest, where the people in charge imposed Sharia Law. Under Sharia Law, music is banned. So these musicians moved to another part of Africa and formed Songhoy Blues. The name comes from the fact that three of the members of the band were part of the Songhoy people in Africa. Their style of music has been described as desert blues. I don’t know about all that, but Songhoy Blues are definitely a blues band. They were inspired by the Beatles, Jimi Hendrix and John Lee Hooker, according to the band. You can hear it all in their songs. They sing in French and these guys can wail. Songhoy Blues doesn’t play the regular style of American blues we’re used to hearing, But you know it's in there. They’ve added more African rhythms to their songs, making yheir music something new altogether. Well, new to Americans, moat likely. I’d heard of the band before getting into the 1,001 challenge I’m doing here. I’m not sure if I ever listened to them, but I have heard Bombino, who became really popular around the same time as Songhoy Blues. Bombino and Songhoy Blues play a similar style of music. Also, there is some really cool psychedelic African blues from back in the 1970s that will blow your mind. So Songhoy Blues isn’t that new for African rock, but they really brought it to the world stage in 2015. Songhoy Blues is definitely worth checking out. They have a unique way of playing the blues. It’s fun to hear how Jimi Hendrix and the Beatles go into their ears and come out Songhoy Blues. I’m not sure if this album will be a part of my regular playlist, but I’ll definitely come back to it occasionally to kind of refire my synapses.

No he llegado a disfrutar del disco

Wasn't bad but it was so far out my personal style that I didn't really enjoy it.

Interesting music. I would have to be in the right mood to listen to it again.

The forms and sounds are kin to rawer records by Groups Doueh, Inerane and Bombino, and I flinch at the connotations of “World Music Idol” with the involvement of Damon Albarn, but the result often shreds. Opener “Soubour” feels like the complete deal - those circular, mellifluous guitar patterns married to fancier equipment than I’m used to hearing them from.

For an ignorant sap such as myself, this rocks pretty hard and is full of bright melodies. Who knows if it's super-representative of Saharan music in general, but I enjoyed it a lot. Their next one, Résistance, is just as good and features a real banger in "Bamako" as well as a so-bad-it's-good Iggy guest vocal on "Sahara", if you're so inclined.

J'aime le style mais j'ai l'impression d'avoir entendu vraiment meilleur, plus raw chez Moctar ou même Vieux Farka Touré. Tout de même, c'était agréable, mais pas tout à fait un 4.

C'est 4 sur le plan du caractère agréable de l'écoute. C'est un 3 par rapport au reste de ce qui se fait dans le genre.

C’est bon mais la prod est un peu dull. 3.49 étoiles

i don't understand what they are singing, but it's has good beats

A nice mix of the African sound and the blues.

Moro moro :D Malilaista bluesia en odottanut löytäväni kun rupesin tähän projektiin mukaan. Levy oli mielenkiintoinen, mutta en tykännyt. Laulusta en ymmärtänyt mitään joka jättää kuuntelukokemuksen pinnallisemmaksi. Soundi oli ihan kiva mutta tämä ei tarrannut mua mukaansa.

Pääs Timbuktun pojat yllättämään. Ei oo Blues maistunut ikinä, mutta täähän oli ihan mukava platta. Ennen kuuntelua en uskonut että tykkäisin yhtään.

Kylläpä albumigeneraattori tarjoilee tällä kertaa vähän erikoisempaa musiikkia, mutta tämähän on koko homman suola ettei tiedä mitä täältä tulee ja saattaa tulla. Mielenkiintoinen albumi, jännä konsepti yhdistellä bluesia ja afrikkalaistyylistä perinteistä(?) laulua. Hankala vaan napata tästä kiinni, joten levy saa kakkosen.

Nyt meni kyllä hankalaks. Outo genre ja outo kieli, niin todella vaikea saada mistään kiinni. Onko tämä aavikkoblues siis jokin Afrikan oma subgenre bluessille, koska tälleen ekaa kertaa kun kuuntelee niin tämä aika perinteinen blues soitanta ja toi laulu ei kyllä sopinut yhtään yhteen. Kyllä tästä kakkonen tipahtaa. Musiikki muuten hyvää, mutta laulusta tuntuu jotenki todella irrannaiselta.

Meno aika afrikka. Ihan mukavatunnelmaista meininkiä. Kotimaisesta tuotannosta tuli mieleen Piirpauke, mutta taisi Sakari KUKKO seikkailla jossain länsi-afrikassa tiuhempaankin ja taisi jossain vaiheessa ainakin rumbali olla jostain Senegalista roudattu. Ei tule uudestaan varmaan kuunneltua, mutta ihan kiva tämä "Timbuktu punk"

Ei tästä vihaiseksi voi ainakaan tulla, sen verran hyväntuulista ja letkeää on meno. Mutta ei oikein tarjoa sitten mitään sen enempää.

Toimi oikein hyvin pakatessa vähän kiireisenä. Rentouttavaa ja ”kaikki kääntyy vielä hyväksi”-meininkiä.

Ihan letkeetä meininkiä ja hyvää jytkytystä. Sinänsä, kun tietoisuus ahrikkalaisesta musiikista ja ennen kaikkea desert bluesista on vähäistä, niin on vaikea pistää tätä mihinkään kontekstiin. Pakko mennä siis sen mukaan, miten todennäköisesti tätä nyt kuuntelisi lisää ja miten paljon tästä tykkää. Hauskasti se mikä omaan korvaan kuulostaa jollain tapaa tutulta ahrikkamantereen musiikilta on uitettu bluesimpaan meininkiin. Levyn loppua kohden biisit vähän rauhoittuivat ja ns. tutumpi bluespoljento päätyi taka-alalle. Tavallaan jees plätty, muttei herätä suurempia tunteita.

Ei taida tulla kuunneltua uudestaan, mutta ihan omalla tavallaan toimiva kokemushan tämä oli. Plussaa myös siitä, että oli nimeäkin myöten täysin uusi tuttavuus itselleni. Tämän projektin antia parhaimmillaan.

Kiva groove pojilla. Mukavan kuuloista musiikkia. Sanoista ei tietenkään ole mitään hajua. Ei kuitenkaan sellainen levy jota tulisi kuuneltua uudestaan. Tähän levyyn/artistiin olisi ollut kiva saada projektilta joku lyhyt intro.

Täysin uusi tuttavuus ja ei ehkä ihan omaa genreä, mutta hyvinhän nuo soittaa.

Uus kokemus kyllä

Hemmetin mielenkiintoinen tarina ainakin levyn takana. Taidokasta soitantaa ilman muuta, mutta kyllä kokemus ja kokonaisuus jää silti vähän vajaaksi, kun ei tekstistä ymmärrä mitään. Ei varmaan kyllä tähän levyyn tule enää palattua.

This was so cool. Something I never would have found if it wasn't for this project.

Wow, I really enjoyed this. This is what I like about this list, there is no way I would have ever heard these guys otherwise.

Amazing and unique

Banger

I enjoyed this. Fun and upbeat. The guitar work was very good. Malian blues.

Interesting

An enjoyable album I probably never would have found if not for this.

So refreshing to my ears, like a new fruit I've never tasted, on a warm summer day.

no es para mi pero la instrumental mola

I am literally here for this. Something I never would have found on my own but wonderful. I was today years old when I discovered that desert blues was a thing, but man is it a thing! Mixing American blues with what are African beats is genius. That said, these guys hooked me with the first couple of songs, but then lost me a bit towards the end. Easily could have cut a few songs. Otherwise a really great experience. Influence, I don't know. Hits, not that I'm aware of. Quality is sky high, and I really enjoyed it. 3.5

Joa. Im ersten durchlauf finde ich keinen Zugang dazu.

3.5 more accuratr

Finally something different from this list. This is a modern blues band from Mali. I got an Ali Farka Touré album earlier in this list and really liked it so I can hear the similarities in this. No complaints from me, this was nice.

Reminds me of a more radio-friendly afrobeat with a commercial blues influence. There's beautiful details, so if you leave it on in the background, when you zone back in there's something special waiting for you. Not sure I'd listen again. 2.8/5

Pretty chilled, nice background music for work but won't stick it on at home. 2.5

Very good style of music, the guitars are amazing and it truly feels like something different and in the style of their country. I really liked it

Intressant. Dock är blues inte min musiksmak. Fina röster och akustisk gitarr, men lite repetitivt. +irganda , petit meteir

Iš istorijos įdomūs, muzikaliai visai nieko.

ehhh

This is like royalty free background music that YouTube would suggest to you instead after you've had a copyright strike on one of your videos, except the vocalist is kinda cool and charismatic. These are a desert blues/afro-rock band from Bamako, Mali, with an interesting and rather distressing backstory which overshadows the fairly average music on offer. Props to them for navigating those circumstances, using this album as a cathartic release and as a huge middle finger to forms of oppression essentially, but the end result isn't really for me.

It really captures the "african sound" theme, and very refreshing to hear their interpretation of blues. Knowing the backstory of the country they're from makes it more interesting and it evens helps to put in perspective the genre. Overall, a good listen.

It’s fine background music. I listened twice in order to get the sense of it. It’s calming, unassuming, and not my cuppa. Top tracks: “Soubour,” “Al Hassidi Terei”

I have no fucking clue what this is at all.

--Soubour...I like that guitar --Irganda...this rips --Al Hassidi Terei...this is very cool, I wish I were good with words so I could describe it --Sekou Oumarou...we slow things down a bit. It's good but not as exhilarating as previous tracks --Nick...some nice old school blues with a fuzzy guitar --Al Tchere Bele...good but not one of the better tracks --Wayei...not my favorite. repetitive --Petit Metier...an acoustic ballad that expands into something more. very nice --Jolie...the guitar/bass interplay is fun but the song is meh --Desert Melody...a nice vibe but there's something with the guitar on this one. a lack of precision? intentional? --Mali...a nice, quiet closer

Are we really just putting anything in here? This was just random blues from Africa

Enjoyed this at work through my crappy usb headset while answering emails… some of the bluesier tracks I enjoyed less but it was a good listen overall

i love music from mali... its just a fact about me

I liked this, but maybe didn't find it as impactful as other albums in the same genre - not sure if there are any other desert blues albums on the list or not.

I'm old enough to remember when the promise of globalization was that we'd get more art like this - an omnivorous blend of African rhythms and harmonies with (African-)American blues guitar workouts, all conveying the pathos of four guys who just want the sharia cops to leave them the fuck alone so they can rock. The energy here is always palpable, even on the slower stuff - "Petit Metier" is quiet but always insistent. Alternate band name: The Actually Black Keys.

I really like the guitar but nothing really stuck out in particular.

What absolute banger of a recorde. Perfectly mixes an African sound with blues element. Starts kf incredibly strong and holds it till the end.

The fusion of African rhythm and vocals with upbeat, bluesy rock is a fantastic combination. As the Tuareg guitarist Bombino has demonstrated, the melodies and scales commonly found in African music translate very well to the electric guitar and more modern styles of playing.

It's a bit repetitive but not bad.

the music isn't charting new territories, but the background of the album's creation is interesting and sad.

die Art vo Musig gfallt mier sehr, aber glichzitig gits anderi Künstler:inne wos no chli besser mached

Really good. Can't understand the lyrics, but it sounds great regardless. Southern sounding guitar, twangy with an afro twist.

Pretty decent, pleasantly surprised by this wild card

I loved this album. This album is exactly what I'm here for - Malinese sand blues. Bring it on

I'm sure it's not everybody's cup of tea, but I actually liked this record. A lot. This band reminds me somehow of Uchpa, a Peruvian blues band who plays in quechua, the local language.

Sehr nice Bluesig und 1 in a 100 chance zum es ned-englischs-album zbecho, darum super happy! Am Endi vom Tag aber au ned so mega flashig das Ichs mer bald wider in voller Längi wird inezieh. Für das gits 3 HOCH DIE HÄNDE, WOCHENENDE!

Wieder (aso erst s 2te african album glaubs, isch ja würki nöd vill) so biz tuareg/mali sound. Scho sehr gmüetlich aber wirdi doch nüm all zu oft dri lose. Danke fürd diversitität 3 langsam fitti sternlis nachm festival

Not bad, but not something I’ll listen to again, if I can help it.

Very cool and different take on blues.

I loved listening to this style of music. Though I don’t speak the language, their vibe is on point!

Groovy guitar blues and funk, really enjoyed

No… music not bad but voice and motive can be better

African Blues.. aumal spannend

Ok not my cup of tea but good

This one was a good listen. It is some serious blues riffing, but it is downplayed somewhat by the language barrier. I would like to have a translation of the lyrics. I will listen to this one again.

przesłuchać do konica rano

Solid album but no particular standouts for me. Might revisit this one later.

I am not sure who this is for

This is wonderful

What a musical and political treat!! First suggestion of a band I’d never heard of that was worth listening to. More like these please.

Fun stuff. Really grooving.

Not bad music but t not my style, I give it a solid 3 stars only because I won’t buy the album though it was good

This album starts with a great start. The first 4 songs on this album I really loved. The simplistic playing and rhythmic singing blended really well together and created really original sounding rock songs that felt fresh and creative. Obviously there’s a bit of a disconnect cause I didn’t translate the songs so I have no idea what they were singing about, but I loved it regardless. I do feel that the language barrier hurt the later parts of the album cause they slow down and play more ballad like songs, but I always struggle with slow songs. So those two things combined made the 2nd half (majority) of the album forgettable. Despite that, I think this is a solid rock album that’s completely original and fresh.

I liked this. Fun blues-rock with an unmistakable African spin. I'd listen again.

4+, immediately digestible, though still quite novel for me

Super!

Nice sound. Great for more active working , not distracting

Interesting album, not really my style

This was pretty good, and felt like a classic blues album.

Not bad.

4 out of 5. This is why I signed up for this service! So happy to listen to new music not from the USA. Great blues and head-bopping beats. The first two tracks are ending up on my Favorites List.

Loved this. It is the best non-English language album I have heard so far. Great musicianship and moving tunes.

I really enjoyed this one.

Weirdly enjoyable.

Really enchanting

Bluesy rock with a Malian twist, makes a lovely combination It's nothing overcomplicated or massively groundbreaking, just a pleasant and catchy one

Albumi on 39 minuuttia 46 sekunttia pitkä siispä 36minuuttia 14sekunttia liian pitkä. Yhden biisin jaksaa kuunnella, mutta siitä eteenpäin alkaa tulla korvista ulos ja lopulta kaikki biisit vain puuroutuvat yhdeksi meluksi. Muistuttaa siis kaikin tavoin kananaisen yöllisiä konserttoja. Voisin kuitenkin laittaa tämän albumin soimaan uudelleen, jos esimerkiksi olisin autossa ja haluaisin ärsyttää matkakumppaneita mahdollisimman paljon. Lieneekö sama ärsytystaktiikka käytössä nykytanssiopettajilla, jotka soittavat tätä alkutunnin hytkyttelyissä.

A good time. I don't know if it's the genre for me, but worth a listen.

bit boring. But quite different from those in the US

Nice but would only have in the background

I wrote damn notes! And my damn notes are gone! It doesn't save! I need to like refresh the damn page or something. I enjoyed this album, I had more to say, it reminded me of the kind of world music my dad loves.

++: Soubour, Irganda, Al Hassidi Terei, Sekou Oumarou, Wayei, Jolie, Desert Melodie, Mali +: Nick, Ai Tchere Bele, Petit Metier 8,5/10

Really enjoyed this. Wasn't expecting something quite as guitar driven but it was a nice surprise.

I liked the vibe

First time listening to desert blues. Could understand the lyrics but the music was really fun and enjoyable. Soubour is my favorite in this album.

I feel I should be sentimental because this is the LASTTGYT album!!!! But it was alright. Definitely there were songs that were pretty cool and different but I couldn’t really do 40 minutes of it.

Inconsistent? It starts out kind of awesome, actually - bluesy rock but so much better than that lame description - with a heavy African feel to it, it's different and entirely unique at least to western culture (i.e. my ears). The problems lie in the longer more repetitive songs later in the album - this is the kind of music you'd feel great listening to if you're watching the band live and feeling the jam but at home on an album it just feels...eh, it drags. I'm gonna give a solid 3 based on the fact that the first chunk of songs I could definitely get into again although the album overall falls flat - but how many bands can even give 4 songs worthy of a playlist? 6/10 3 stars.

Decent. Love the mix of acoustic and vocals.

Unexpected delight.

This slaps. Super listenable rocking band that pulls just enough of their heritage into an overplayed genre to breathe some new life into it. Not perfect but great work.

Not my bag.

Me gustó este álbum en tanto que tiene una gran energía en su música. Además me parece interesante como suena, parece una combinación entre rock, blues y afrobeat. No conozco particularmente el estilo desert rock, por lo que fue una experiencia nueva. Me sorprendió que este álbum estuviese en la lista, ya que no es anglosajón. Ojala hubiesen más propuestas así. Incluso se le suma el contenido político a la música, que le aporta mucho más riqueza a la historia y la intención con que se grabó este álbum. Por momentos me resultó un poco monótono, pero cuando estaba por sentirme cansado del álbum empezaron a sonar algunos temas tranquilos, con otro tempo y energía que rompieron con la monotonía (ya que una cosa es que los temas sean repetitivos por una cuestión estilística, y otra que el álbum sea monótono por falta de criterio). No creo que sea un álbum favorito para mí, pero sí lo considero un buen álbum que incluye significancia histórica y que aporta diversidad a esta lista.

This is why I like this project. Never heard of this one before, and it absolutely rocks!

Well that was an unexpected like!

Knew I loved Songhoy Blues going into this and that doesn't change. That afrobeat, psychedelic blues mixture gives my heart much joy.

Interesting kind of music from another cultural background.

Musique de qualité et entraînante (pas mal pour mettre de bonne humeur). La partie instrumentale avec les guitares aux rythmes répétitifs et lancinants rappelle les états proches de la transe que la musique et la danse peuvent provoquer. Ça m'a aussi replongée dans les souvenirs d'une époque où je fréquentais pas mal de personnes qui écoutaient beaucoup de musique du continent africain. Une belle découverte même si pour être honnête, je n'écouterai probablement pas souvent.

This was ok. Would have been better in english

Typical “rock” music coming out of Africa. Clean guitar tones and syncopated playing, interesting percussion, full of energy.

3 stars. It's a bit different but I'm not going to be seeking it out very often.

Powerful story to this record with the band being displaced and trying to recreate the sound of northern mali to give some piece of home to other people with the same destiny. Really like their desert blues style. Reminds me of arc de soleil and even khruangbin from time to time. The vocals are a little repetitive but love the riffs and bass lines. Songs that stand out to me are Sourbour, Sekou Oumarou, Petit Metier and Jolie. Glad i got to discover this!

Not on Amazon Music

cool

Made me miss Desert Daze, definitely feels like a band we would have seen there and really enjoyed.

can't understand a word they're saying, but the vibes are simply immaculate

very cool african blues

I’m usually not a huge fan of electric blues but the language difference brings more intrigue and when it breaks down into acoustic blues the songs a great and the groves are unique even if repetitive

Not my fav. Just wasn't a huge fan. Listened fully three times and never got into it

It was definitely such a vibe but there was never a huge moment that stood out to me? 100% the type of shit I’m replaying in the future for homework motivation or smth tho

im a big fan of the drum groove on al tchere bele and the shimmery guitar riff sound throughout but esp jolie. sounds a little too mich like home depot jingle.

I generally like African music, but I found this to be fairly average.

Interesting, and quite groovy at times, but not on the level of the best Tinariwen albums, for me Clive.

Kul med ett band från Namibia men känns inte som något jag skulle lyssna på igen

Rating: 0.0 Pawn Stars or Chrome Valley Customs theme song music. Doesn’t matter that it’s done by some guys from a third world country. A hotel bar would be too good for this schlock. Absolutely horrible. Whoever platformed this (JULIAN CASABLANCAS) needs to be investigated, he may be harboring even worse music on his laptop or something.

Not my type de música pero igual está cool

I do like this album and it’s FUNKY as hell which I very much appreciate. It’s such a cool twist on music, the first song reminded me of Sinners especially the scene where Preacher Boy is singing and black people of all cultures and ages start dancing along to the song. This album is just pretty awesome. Would I listen to this on my drive to work? No probably not but I can say I appreciate it and I’m glad I broadened my horizons 😄😄

This rips. Cutting through any kind of language barrier. Fun, bouncy instrumentals. Repetitive vocal lines but feels super intentional. Dig.

An absolutely delightful surprise. An updated take on Ali Farka Toure's desert blues; will be listening to the rest of their stuff now. Also, second album in a row without a Wikipedia page.

Songhoy Blues: Music In Exile: This is some kinda new blues music, its decent, the percussion is interesitng, but its kind of repetitive and drags on. I still enjoyed every song but it wasn't anything crazy. 6.5/10

4/5

This was fine on its own, but I feel like I need more context to really get a lot out of this. This was recorded in a time that the artists were ousted from their town because of a war in their home country of Mali, and I'm sure the lyrics are probably about that but I don't understand any of it. Sonically, very little about this seems to be distinct from American Black blues music, so I'm not getting a Malian feel from that either. Still a 2/5, but I think it could be a 4 or even a 5 if I did the homework to understand this better. Paradoxically, though, I don't really want to do homework.

Best country music I've heard in a while

Music is the universal language and these guys can jam.

Pretty cool. Never would have discovered or listened to this album if not for this generator.

Wonderful change of pace from the regular stuff. Those picking sounds from the guitar are awesome. Easy to see these as the roots of more modern African rock/blues groups.

Amazing album with a sad story. The music is really good and I thank the algorithm for giving me this. A very high 4 stars and if I find myself returning to the album, I will come back to give it 5*. 4/5

6/10… afrikanischer blues / world music

This album felt very fresh despite being mostly grounded in blues rock. The different perspective/cultural influence definitely played a role and took the music in different directions than the typical rock album on this list. I enjoyed musical and cultural blend a lot even though I couldn't understand the language the vocals were in. I think this was a strong addition to the list, but I don't know that it was particularly special outside of being unique. The style and background made it interesting even if it was a bit unimpressive at times. On the whole, I thought it was a pretty good album. Overall: 3.5/5

I never knew this kind of music existed! Loved it!

Interesting punk sound from mali

Surprisingly really enjoyed this

22/07/2025 Never judge a book by its cover.

Beginning of the album was pretty good. The rest of the album was OK kind of slow, not as groovy as the beginning.

Favorites: Soubour, Irganda, Jolie I respect the hell out of this record. To make it out of a conflict and, with the help of some industry gods, make a record proving your freedom to make music is really admirable. However, I just didn't get a lot out of the record itself. The songs where it feels like a Franz Ferdinand-esque indie rock record were pretty damn good, but most of the record is just... Forgettable, unfortunately. However, I do recommend checking this out, if only because the record defied tall odds to exist in the first place.

Great opening riff on "Soubour," the first song! Mostly infectious fun throughout, but one day after listening to it, I can't say I specifically recall any of the songs.

One of the coolest titles for an album based on context I’ve ever seen, basically a middle finger to the jihadist group that caused their exile and ban of music in the region. Musically it is also holds up to the cool standard, because it’s really good basically, incredibly catchy, instrumentals were actually insane sometimes, especially percussion and obviously guitar as it is technically blues music. Only thing I can’t really comment on is lyrics as I don’t understand Songhai unfortunately but that doesn’t matter at all really because the musics so good and the vocals just act as another instrument really. Favourites: all but maybe the last two. Overall, 8/10.

Ik versta er geen klap van

Not really my style but folksy/rock heavy

Interesting. Never heard ‘desert blues’ before now. Have no idea what they’re saying but the beat is good

This was pretty great. A wild ride of styles and mashing of guitar rock with Kuti- style (but not) rhythms and tones.

Not bad and a powerful backstory that shows how powerful magic can be. It m kind of over the blues but this was solid.

Having thoroughly enjoyed their 2025 album ‘heritage’ i was pleased to see this pop up. Unlike some of the other albums i’ve had on this list, that aren’t in English, this didn’t feel like it possibly lost something to my ability to enjoy it. The musical just picks you up and sweeps you along and whilst i might know what the lyrics content is telling me, it just fits rhythmically.

This is my favourite of the “world music” selections we’ve been offered as part of this project so far, for reasons I can’t really explain. I just quite liked it.

This was a huge surprise. The generator previously gave me Djam Leelii by Senegalese artists Baaba Maal and Mansour Seck, and I struggled with the repetitive licks, finding it pretty annoying by the end. But Songhoy Blues doing similar short repetitive musical phrases I didn't mind it at all. In fact, I was really tapping my foot. It felt like something that was traditional from Mali but very modern at the same time. I had a good 10 minutes trying to find a lyric translation for the full album, sadly coming up empty-handed. I wish I knew what the songs specifically meant, rather than just knowing the general theme. The general theme is heartbreakingly sad though; fleeing your country because the people ruling it believe playing music is a sin. I really, really enjoyed this album, more so than I ever could have expected (though I would say the first half is stronger than the second, particularly the first two tracks). I want a half star again, but in it's absence: 4/5

I like this

pretty good album

Certified soulful gem! This one left a mark. 🐦‍🔥🔥

I ultimately felt that this was an average blues band. Love to hear the African influence, but I didn't not feel strongly about much on it.

I was surprised not to have come across this earlier. Better late than never.

I first got exposed to a lot of African modern music through a series called Éthiopiques. While this band isn't from Ethiopia (they're from Mali), I was happy to hear familiar sounds. I really enjoyed this one, lots of impressive guitar hooks and tones.

When Jolie first started, I was dreading ANOTHER cover version of 'Jolene' (she has other songs, people!) This album was alright, but never really grabbed me one way or the other. I liked the songs, and it will scratch a musical itch I have occasionally, but this one won't really go into my listening list. Solid. 3.

Love the blues/country mixed with their native language and sound! So unique!

they had some jams. Had a fun time listening to them.

decent introduction to some music I wouldn't have otherwise sought out/listened to, got a lesson on desert blues style and wouldn't mind exploring more!

Not something I would’ve played on my own but I like that it had really awesome instrumentation and it flowed really well. 3/5

Fine

I appreciate the exposure to new bands I probably would have never found. I really dug this album. Will be looking into their later work.

Great music is great music.

A beautiful blend of musical style, Songhoy Blues showcases the artists mastery of guitar that melds perfectly with the drums and vocal melodies.

Eclectic as shit

Not my usual thing but not sure how I would have found this otherwise. Nice blend of genres. Songs were bouncy and fun.

Desert blues. Exiled from Mali by the imposition of Sharia law which banned cigarettes, alcohol and music. You can keep the fags and booze but any culture without music is no culture at all. Guitar driven blues rock.

V happy to see this album on here, think it's fantastic

I liked it musically. Lyrically, I don't know the language, so I can't judge.

This was great! Groovy, joyful, varied!

Trancey blues with cool interlocking guitar parts, driving bass and drum parts, and a youthful up-tempo rock energy. Not sure why there's such a boundless appetite for this kind of samey genre in the festival circuit, but it's much more exciting music than dad blues rock, so the more the merrier.

Wtf

Day 8 First listen- Decent album, really liked the guitar. But then again the songs weren't very memorable and felt maybe few tracks could have been removed from the album. (2.5/5)

Not my favorite of the desert blues genre, but an enjoyable listen nonetheless.

Never heard of these guys, but I was very surprised. Nice songs, great melodies, easy to listen to. I just wish I understood the words. I did add them to my favorites.

Favorites: Irganda, Nick

Das Album Music in Exile der Band Songhoy Blues wurde unter anderem in den Livingston Studios in London aufgenommen. Die Mitglieder der Gruppe stammen aus Mali, ihre musikalischen Wurzeln liegen im Norden des Landes, wo Tuareg-Blues und traditionelle Songhai-Klänge ein zentraler Bestandteil der lokalen Musiktradition sind. Die Band verbindet Elemente aus Wüstenblues, Rock und westafrikanischer Popmusik. Stilistisch lässt sich das Album dem Genre Wüstenblues bzw. afrikanischem Bluesrock zuordnen. Auffällig ist der rhythmisch betonte Gitarrensound, der sich durch viele der Stücke zieht. Songs wie „Soubour“ oder „Al Hassidi Terei“ gelten als prägnante Beispiele für den Stil der Band. Sie greifen politische und gesellschaftliche Themen auf, die eng mit der Lebensrealität der Musiker verknüpft sind. Auch „Irganda“ zeigt exemplarisch, wie die Gruppe traditionelle Strukturen mit modernen Arrangements verknüpft. Das Album bietet einen konzentrierten Einblick in die Ausdrucksform einer jungen Generation westafrikanischer Musiker, die unter schwierigen politischen Bedingungen neue Wege sucht. Die Produktion wirkt bewusst zurückhaltend, was der Authentizität zugutekommt. Music in Exile ist ein solides, kulturell wie musikalisch relevantes Werk.

Really fun Album, loved the energy. I has reminded me of many artist that I love. A perfect album to hear at the beach, surf vibes. Type of album I would recommend to my dad.

It's hard to rate an album that's not in your native tongue, but this album was fun to listen to overall. It was thematically sound, and the story behind the album, which I looked up, definitely adds a layer to a seemingly upbeat and electric album. If I were at a bar and the first track came on, there's no doubt I could get up and dance with my partner to this. Play this in a Blues bar and the entire place is going crazy. If I knew the lyrics, there's a chance this album could score much higher. It's catchy even though I don't know the lyrics, and upon my second listen was fully humming to a couple parts. I wouldn't be upset if I heard these sounds again, in fact, I hope I do. Given what I do know, it's cohesive, distinctive, likely has a hit or two, and is certainly high quality. For those reasons I will give it 3.5/5 stars.

I really enjoyed the vibe of this album. There was some great guitar playing, unusual rhythms and melodies.

Interesting, bluesy grooves

THIS is what I'm doing this for

It makes you realise how good Dr Feelgood were

When I read "band to keep the music of their people alive" I wasn't expecting the album to be such a banger. Good mix of blues and rock with traditional Mali music, plus an interesting backstory, make this an excellent album. Excited to check out more.

Unique African folk music, I like this album because I’ve never heard much like it and can appreciate the contrast to what I usually listen to. The only thing is that I didn’t find anything that I absolutely loved.

such a unique mix of influences and origins, great guitar work but just enough 'worldmusicsound' to keep it humble. I liked this! I want to give 3.5

Highly listenable. Excellent musicianship, esp the guitar. Hard to keep coming back being that I don’t understand Mail and the impact of the lyrics is lost.

I love the rich sound and frantic rhythm. I also found it incredibly repetitive after the initial songs.

Joyful. Exuberant. Expressive. Passionate. All driven by displacement and presented with masterful craftsmanship. The power to get overcome if best rooted in song. A quality entry into the desert blues idiom.

Music that sounds like you're in another country in their equivalent of a pub. Chilling out with friends and listening to the music take your worries away. Would probably like this more if I knew what they were saying but the emotion in the voice is there.

This was a nice break from all the US/UK dominate music that is this list, particularly all the bland folk rock. THis was a funky blend of blues guitar with West African rhythms. I obviously had no idea what they were saying, but the vocal were strong and enjoyable. This was only my 2nd non english album through 105, I hope that the ratio is better weighted to international music as this list progress, there is so much great Spanish, French, West African, Portuguese, Italian, Japanese music that I am aware of and I would hope this list would enlighten me beyond that. This was a solid album that I am glad I heard and that will help guide me to more similar music. 7.4/10 105/1001

very catchy but songs can sound the same. blue rock smashes so hard 8/10

ya its good it's like that other guy from the sahara. nice interesting rhythm with that like "jumping up" feel. guitar work nice, cool sound.

tROPICAL PRESsure ahh. Always though that musicians from Africa (and many places elsewhere from the 'West' think of melodies and phrasings and stuff which typical Western musicians can't or wouldn't. I think that's most evident in the vocal melodies in this, which feel so unique to Africa, maybe more specifically Eastern or North Eastern, from my (sadly) limited knowledge of African music. I wish I could understand the lyrics, as they seem to have some sort of theme or message, given the context of the album. Favourite songs: pretty much all. Overall around 8/10

Excellent blues riffs and melodies. Didn’t understand a word but didn’t need to.

This was great!

They play 4 minute versions of 40 second songs. They have some nice riffs, but too repetitive. Favorite song: ai tchere bele

I dig most desert blues, and this one is no exception. Gonna have to dig into more of their albums and give them a listen too.

Exactly what this list is for, finding new music you never would have heard before

Don't have to know anything they're saying to know I enjoyed this.

This was so unexpectedly good, I was singing along with them by the end.

This was different but familiar. No idea what they were talking about but it was catchy. I liked it a lot

Great fun. Opening song is amazing.

Very cool, and probably an awesome vibe live. My favorites are Irganda and the slower jam Petit Metier.

Best Malian blues I’ve ever heard

Had never heard of these fellas. So fun!

I started writing this at about half way through the listening while having breakfast and getting ready for a run and started thinking “this is nice but it might not be a regular listening” but by the time I reached Ai Tchere Bele, Songhoy Blues had captured me and then with the flip to the hypnotic rhythm of Wayei I was genuinely hooked and haven’t moved from the table yet. The slide into Petit Metier is wonderfully sublime and really does hold up to their style of desert blues and the drop in of the syncopated rhythm in the second half of the track is a wonderful surprise that really shows the bands skill and talent as musicians. I think this album probably gets down voted because people don’t understand the lyrics and sadly I couldn’t find them online as I’d love to understand Music in Exile from a lyrical perspective. 100% this will be in regular rotation in my collection now. The harmonies are haunting, the guitar lines are beautiful in the way they wind, the bands use of rounds to naturally craft layers in the way other artists might use loop pedals. Disappointed to see that I missed their U.K. tour for their new album by a few weeks and will be exploring the rest of their work. Didn’t expect to like this as much as I did, it makes me want to sway, it makes me want to dance. I think it’s expertly produced and balanced really well but you can’t do that without great music to start from. Solid 5/5 I favourited this and instantly downloaded it.

I wasn't a huge fan of this one.

This album wasn’t too bad. Good mix of African rhythms with more modern guitar.

pretty good actually. first track kind of fire

I didn’t know what to expect coming into this album. I did some research and saw that the band is from Mali. In all honesty, I wasn’t big on this album, but I can certainly see why other people would enjoy it. The main hurdle I couldn’t get across was not being able to understand the lyrics. As someone who usually listens to the lyrics first, this was hard for me to stomach. But, for everything I’ve said, I am willing to give the band its dues and say that the album did sound pretty good. The songs all had good rhythm and guitar work, and it really had that exotic feel to it. The album didn’t sound bad, it actually sounded pretty good. I may not come back to this album, but if your a fan of African music, or even if you’re from that culture, I’d suggest checking it out.

I enjoyed this even without understanding the lyrics. Good music speaks in all languages.

Uit het niets opeens Iggy Pop. Prima album maar wel veel van hetzelfde.

Fine, but not for me. I might struggle with an American tendency to want to listen to music sung in english. Not because other languages anger me, but it provides an anchoring point for me to grasp on to. I also struggle to learn the context of the music if I cannot learn the lyrics.

Beautiful music. Love this stuff.

No clue what was going on here with this album, but it was pleasant enough to listen to. 2.5⭐️ rounding up

Had no idea what to expect off of this album cover. Started off strong - really enjoyed that blues-rock sound, but then it slowly loses steam for me. Not a bad listen, but nothing I'd ever really seek out again, nor dig into the discography. 2.5, rounding up because the music beat the album cover expectations.

West African electric blues rock? Heck yeah! This grooves pretty hard right off the bat. I have no idea what they're saying, but that doesn't really matter. It does get a little samey after awhile, but it's still good even with this in mind.

Favorite: All of them? Total vibe, really really dug this.

Okay I already knew going into this album that I would enjoy it but I did not realize how much I would. Every single song on the album finds its place and the story behind the music can be felt even though I could not understand the lyrics. Luckily I am already accustomed to non-English music so I did not find it challenging. Instead, the language barrier created a beautiful feeling in my soul knowing that I was able to connect with men I have never met, who I do not understand verbally. I felt their suffering but I also felt their fighting spirit. 9/10 rounded up to 5 stars.