Music in Exile

KUL med något som inte är från väst! Även om det är tråkigt att det ska krävas en expedition från Damon Albarn, en signering med Julian Casablancas bolag, och en plats i en antologi till 99% fylld med västerländsk musik innan det når mig. Men, tacksam är jag ändå! För, Songhoy Blues från Bamako, Mali, är otroliga! En mix av klassisk rock, blues, och (säkert) traditionella västafrikanska sounds som jag kan för lite om för att göra någon sorts djupare kommentar. Bra är det. RIVSTARTAR med 'Soubour' (vars tunga riffs bitvis för mina tankar till Pattis 'Ain't it Strange') och fortsätter i samma höga tempo med härliga 'Irganda'. På spår tre höjs nivån ytterligare, och 'Al Hassidi Terei' har fantastiska 'I Want You (She's So Heavy)'-vibbar i de långsammare partierna. Bredvid de tre öppningslåtarna är 'Petit Metier' det bästa på albumet. Lite ömmare, lättare, akustiskarareare, och vakcrare. Bästa låt: Petit Metier.

This was great.

Really cool album! Not a band I'm familiar with, but I was often reminded of Mdou Moctar's Afrique Victime from a couple years ago. Definitely a similar desert rock vibe, although this one veers into more traditional rock and roll style sometimes, which is interesting. Overall a great project to throw on and lose track of time. I always enjoy getting something on this list that isn't from America or England. Favorite tracks: Al Hassidi Terei, Ai Tchere Bele, Petit Metier. Album art: Just a few guys hanging out, as most bands begin. The text is nice, but it's a very simple cover. 4/5

Pretty sure I've heard this before while looking into African music on Spotify. I also recommend Mdou Moctar to anyone who enjoyed this. Language barrier? I don't care! I just like the way their voices and guitars sound. The singer could be hexing my entire family for all I know. Look at that cover. These guys are better than you and they know it. Four outta five.

Nice

I liked hearing how an American genre of music was translated to another continent and sung in a different language. Though I did not understand the lyrics, the music underneath was unquestionably the blues.

This rocks!

Råtungt

Onaj zadnji je još bolji. Poslušaj

Not the album I expected at all. Absolutely superb. The guitar playing is exceptional.

Really good rockin' blues.

I probably wouldn't listen to this again but it was really good

Blues with Mali heritage mixed with 60s rock influences. What a great surprise and listen!

A great listen.

A blues/folk/rock/word music band. I actually like it.

Pleasant, light desert blues album with a fascinating story behind it. Music by Songhoy Blues feels pure and has harmonies not affected by Old World's school. A surprise, but a welcome one.

Great guitars, interesting back-story, lovely voice. No clue what the lyrics are, but I'm sure they're great too.

vraiment bien aimé. C'est certain qu'il y a une influence Talkin' timbuktu de Ali farka toure et Ry cooder, même si il se dissocie un peu avec le son plus groové blues. 4

Great work, generator. Not only is this the perfect soundtrack for while I’m in Africa (not Mali, but still); I also listened to it just the other day. I’ll happily listen to it again though. The seductive grooves, guitar riffs and group vocals are a delight. A very enjoyable and evocative listen, even if I can’t understand the words.

This is really excellent. Great mix of the energetic and the laid back, with some solid guitar work. Loved it. Fave Songs: Sekou Oumarou, Petit Metier, Desert Melodie, Weyei, Jolie, Nick, Soubour

Also highly recommend Mdou Moctar if you like this stuff!

bão

dlv

Mali blues!

Really enjoyed this. I wish I could follow / understand the lyrics, but really enjoyed the mood and energy of this throughout. Will definitely play again.

Kakav cover, čudo. Ja sjedim, lijevo je Ivan ili desno ili zapravo on sjedi jer nemaju baš kose, a ja sam onaj iza, naslonjen, a ostatak si sami popunite. Rekao bih Tomi i Zvono, ali ono, može i Anita i Jura. ne vjerujte coveru što se tiče glazbe.

Nisam očekivo ovo s coverom, super haahahah

Really enjoyed the beats in this album even if I couldnt understand the lyrics. I wasn't sure how to describe the kind of music until I read the Wikipedia and they called it "desert blues," which really fits. Knowing their story makes the music all the more impactful. Great album.

There’s more authenticity on this single LP than all of last year’s Top 40 releases combined. While not breaking any new ground musically, Songhoy are playing directly from the heart with all the chops needed to back it up. Exceedingly rare to hear music made simply for expressions sake, and though this may be ‘just’ a blues-inspired rock album it’s a damn good listen when all is said and done.

A great blues album with some great licks

Great surprise. First track was a banger.

Definitely a unique genre, first time hearing anything from desert blues. Should check out the pioneering artist as well.

gott shit, sofnaði harkalega við hlustun numer 1 og eg set hana kannski aftur i gang braðum við svipaðar aðstæður, liked it a lot

Great music but language barrier makes it difficult to listen to easily

Entretenido, diferente. Tranquilo

A very pleasant album with rolling grooves and plenty of nifty guitar work. The songs are a bit repetitive which mostly works but now and again the songs outstay their welcome. As I've said before, one of the problems of non-English singing I have no idea what the songs are about. On the whole though, was a really enjoyable album.

Good quality music

No idea what they're on about, but I liked listening to this

I've only been exposed to a little Malian and Tuareg "desert blues," but I've enjoyed the style every time and "Music in Exile" is more of the same great mixture of guitar and African rhythms and percussion. The story behind this group and album is powerful too, fleeing extremists in northern Mali who banned music and keeping their traditional sounds alive first in Bamako and later in the US and the UK, working with Julian Casablancas of the Strokes, Damon Albarn of Blur and Gorillaz, and opening for Alabama Shakes and performing at Austin City Limits. I might have to go check out the documentary they are featured in, "They Will Have to Kill Us First."

Pop Afro grooves, energetic and hypnotic. And a fantastic live band too.

Genre: Songhai Music 4/5 Part-tribal, part-Black Keys, Songhoy Blues is an interesting world music fusion that I did not know I needed until I put it on the stereo. While I was first rather impressed at this book including such an album, but upon research you'll soon find that there's a western mind behind the boards, Nick Zinner, guitarist for the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. He does a great job of getting the best out of these boys, whether it's a ballad or a heavy rocker. The vocals and percussion are all fairly tribal, but the added electric guitar layers prove a worthy addition to the age-old Songhai formula. Some great examples are the rocker, Ai Tchere Bele, where it rides its one chord all the way to the end, with near-experimental arpeggios behind it all. The slow and sweet, acoustic finisher, Mali, does a great job wrapping it all up sonically. Way better than I had anticipated, and will certainly stick around in the rotation. Best blues album I've listened to so far in this exercise!

Toutes les accusations de racisme portées à mon encontre sont infondées

Desert blues. Muy interesante!

Enjoyed it. Cool bluesy music, well made

Disco molto piacevole e godibilissimo. Un ottimo ascolto.

Pitkästä aikaa afrikkalaista musiikkia. Tämä oli miellyttävää kuunneltavaa, vaikka sanaakaan en ymmärtänyt. Yhtyeellä on varsin kiinnostava taustatarina.

There is stuff going on here. Good stuff.

DNF soubour Enjoying this?! (Good guitar) Petit metier Sekou feels a little on the slower side for me

07/09 Not bad

Surprisingly enjoyed this one. I’m not usually the biggest fan of international music (I like to understand the lyrics), but this one was a great vibe

Solid blues album. Not riffs for riffs sake, but well played guitar, drums and bass.

i like it, but it’s really not my cup of tea

Generally enjoyable listen

African blues not bad.

Fav song: Al Hassidi Terei

It was fine, upbeat and fun. I think if I heard this type of music more regularly I would appreciate this album more. It’s good for people hanging out, bars, cafés whatever. I can see myself in a bar with friends downing shots and loving this music, but I would never intentionally sit down and listen to it at home.

Chuckled listening to the first song. Reminded me of modern car commercials with the electric guitar riffs. What I took out of this album is that it combines world music with blues rock instruments. It’s a fascinating concept but something I’m not inclined to listen to further. It’s probably a lack of sleep but I was impatient for this album to finish during the last 4-5 songs (2.5-3).

Nice to hear some more African representation. Pretty enjoyable all around. I would give this 3.5 if I could.

Not bad. African blues. Won't come back to this but shoutout to Timbuktu

I don't understand any of this, but I'm having a great time.

Good

Listened Before? N Pretty eclectic. I didn't understand a word but still didn't hate it. Added to Library? N Songs added to playlist: Sekou Oumarou

Wonderful vocals and unique sound, very nice listen

I'm vaguely familiar with Songhoy Blues, having come across them a few years ago through a recommendation on Spotify. I liked them well enough then, and I like them well enough now. They have style, enjoyable tunes, and an incredibly compelling story behind them, too. Musically, it's good, but there isn't quite enough here for me to feel justified in giving it 4 stars. That said, it's a very strong 3-star album.

Starts off with a banger, but unfortunately settles short of that.

Really solid overall - had never heard of them. Fantastic guitar playing 3

Quite fond of this, very pretty and moving.

3.75?

I liked this! I don’t speak any Songhui so have no clue what they were saying but really liked the persuasiveness of the songs. And whoever sings the bass line has a really has such a nice tone

Probably never would have heard this without this site tbf Pleasant but not really my thing

Found the first few tracks life-affirming stuff but the second half(-ish) less interesting and a bit ‘desert blues by numbers’ in parts. Didn’t like the Kashmir cover much. Enjoyable overall though and will revisit.

Good beats, I enjoyed having the opportunity to listen to something different and more global! After a while I got bored of it and DNF. (3)

It was fine.

Love the sound. Difficult to speak about it more.

3

Cool concept, but I don't really see why I should hear this before I die. The songs (and the album as a whole) grow tiresome real quick.

Para lo raro que se me hace escuchar musica de Mali, este album es bastante digerible y con una instrumentalidad que mezcla la influencia africana con cositas mas occidentales a las que estoy acostumbrada. No entendi un pedo de lo que dicen pero quien soy yo para hablar si soy fan de liz fraser 7/10

Afrikan blues rock, other worthy OG blues artists Irganda Nick

3 de 5 El álbum debut de la banda maliense Songhoy Blues coproducido por Nick Zinner, es una mezcla increíble de desert blues, melodías tradicionales de Tombuctú y rock visceral. Nació como un acto de resistencia cultural tras huir de yihadistas que prohibieron la música en el norte de Mali; los ritmos africanos y los cantos en dialecto Songhoy se entrelazan con guitarras eléctricas ágiles y potentes, que también evocan al blues estadounidense (John Lee Hooker). A destacar: Track 1 - Soubour Track 5 - Nick Track 7 - Wayei Track 8 - Petit Metier Track 10 - Desert Melodie

niet helemaal convinced

Good to have a bit of desert blues in the list.

More African Jazz. Liked it a bit more than the recent Toure album they’re not doubt influenced by.

3.5 stars. Definitely will revisit this one. My new found passion for Rammstein opens up the way for this. Meaning that I'm more tolerant of stuff not in English. No idea what they're singing about, but it's catchy!

I thoroughly enjoyed listening to this. Its loaded with some killer riffs and grooves. 3.5

Some really fun grooves and guitar in this. Pleasantly surprised.

Parts of this I didn't like but there was more that I did like. It was more the groove than the melody that I found appealing.

Really great album, feels like a vibe all the way through. These are the kind of albums that I appreciate on the list because I don’t think I would have been exposed to it otherwise.

Where are these guys from... TIMBUKTU!!? *soyjacks and cums*

Interesting

really good. “soubour” is a gorgeous album opener. first half is the strongest, tho i liked “jolie” towards the end.

Cool album, cool looking band too. Very groovy. Soubour and Petit Metier were my favorites. 6.4/10

great instrumentals but the vocals were a little lacking, might be the fault of the audio quality though

Música de negros, para negros, que se ha vuelto increíblemente comercial y gracias a eso, tenemos maravillas como esta, a pesar que la mayor parte del tiempo me sentía confundido de escuchar lo que estaba escuchando, se siente blues en cada nota, no es algo hecho al azar, gran disco.

I loved the story behind this - the way that music forces its way through the most dire situations and can bring people back to countries that have been stolen from them is one of the most inspiring and enduring lessons you can learn. I also just, y'know, liked listening to this. Because I could only pick up the odd bit of lyricism, it became a little repetitive, but that's on me and my poor language skills.

Liked this better than I expected, but got a little repetitive by the end. Good vibe, though.

Really cool album, Malian rock and roll! Didn’t understand a single word in the whole album but it had really cools vibes!

5/10

DNF

3.5/5

OK, fair play, never let it be said, I thoroughly enjoyed this...

Yeah, pretty funky and fun!

You can hear the rain outside my window and the desert blues inside. Being betwixt and between is not just for this scene but for this band of exiles as well. I appreciate the incorporation of blues music into their context and think it's generally successful on the record. The political dimension of the record might be lost without some research, but the songs match what you'd expect by reading their Wikipedia entry or knowing about the civil conflict of the 2010s in Mali. A greater connection to the themes of resilience, unity, and hope would only reinforce how I feel in this review — important music, pretty solid, but not something I'm going to reach for frequently.

6.5/10

This was a very well done album. The songwriting was great, the musicianship was great, everything about it screamed great. Is this something I would come back, to probably not. But I respect it a lot.

Fun album

Really nice bluesy African guitar music.

I enjoyed listening to this but there it was just missing those moments that make it really stand out.

Totally out of my comfort zone but I liked the experience of listening to it!

5/10

Enjoyed this a lot, loads of fun. Maybe just gets a little bit same-y though

This is another example of why I'm glad that I'm going through this project a new band that I had not heard before. Pretty good album, not a 5 star but still pretty good.

Interesante, no me esperaba que tenga una carga de blues rock tan grande, me sorprendió en varios momentos, a pesar de no entender nada de lo que dicen las letras ya la música me convenció de que está bueno.

Way outside my wheelhouse, but I really enjoyed listening to this. Wouldn't necessarily return to it, but appreciate it for what it is. 3/5.

A lot of people want this list to expose them to seldom heard and/or impactful albums, and this definitely fits the bill. It's not a particularly impressive album musically speaking and starts to get samey real fast, but it does have some cool stuff in it. Pretty standard but well done outlaw blues rock riffs are on almost every song. A few dissonant and mysterious chord progressions break up the monotony. The main appeal of this music is probably the vocals, in particular these chants that pop up often. They add a gravity to a genre that admittedly has lost its edge over the past century or so of its life. An interesting listen.

The music was enjoyable and I think I got about as much out of the album as I could.

3/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/songhoy-blues/music-in-exile/ Some nice grooves, but didn’t grab my attention too much. Hurray for diversity in the list, though!

mr worldwide

Cool story behind the album Not my style but giving it 3 for production and creativity

This was cool

Aunque no hubiera ninguna canción que me gustara en particular, me gustó la experiencia en conjunto. También me gustó investigar sobre la banda y sus orígenes, aprendí mucho.

Well It was interesting for sure :D

I ended up liking this album A LOT more than I thought when I first listened and realized it's not in English. Beats/vibes were immaculate.

okay, vor allem die Geschichte. Aber ist das ein Klassiker?

Best Track - "Soubour"

Sjarmerende og kult til tider. Repeterende og intetsigende ellers.

Likte det! Soubour og Petit Metier lagt til i lista.

Har hørt nok på de gamle mesterne innen dessert blues, til å kunne fastslå at denne plata er repeterende og flat.

Åpenbart bra, men også litt for mye av det samme. Språkbarrieren blir for stor.

Favorite Song: Nick

No es mi estilo de musica, por lo tanto lo califico con un 3, porque no puedo decir que me guste o no me gusta.

Nice

Chill

Totally listenable

Me encantóooo

Really liked this. I've listened to more African music this past year than I have my whole life. I will definitely add this in my rotation.

First album to come up from Africa. Delightful surprise

Didn't really care for this album

It was hard to engage fully in the music, not knowing the language they were singing in, but the music as a whole has a lot of feel and passion throughout. My main fault with this album was the tonal shift in the second half... There was a clear shift in the songs, from more upbeat and experimental to sorrowful, and it made the second half of the album fall slightly flat for me. Favourites: Soubour Irganda Al Tchere Bele

I liked this one. It has a cool vibe and the music itself is pretty good. 7.5/10 Top song Al hassidi terei

Lovely.

This is awesome. Not something I'd listen to normally, but so glad I got to hear it Can't understand a word they're saying and although I wish I could that is part of the beauty, the music and their voices carry the album and this was a very enjoyable listen

Pretty good African record with some takes on rock. I liked the rock songs the most but stuff like Desert Melodie was also pretty good

I enjoyed this.

Nice listening to it in the background, very cool story about the group

Going in with an open heart ♥️ Vibed with it but won’t come back to it on my own

Good. Different

Yeah some cool grooves

No sé qué carajos dijeron en todo el álbum, pero un aplauso para el guitarrista que lo dio todo, denle ya un Grammy, por favor.

Very interesting discovery

Definitely not my usual taste but I still enjoyed it

Some good, groovy, rockin' tunes on here. It got a bit same-y by the end of the album, but there's no denying the talent on display here.

Right of the bat, the rhythm and the singing, ugh so fine. The latter half of the album didn't hit so much than the first half, but it was a great listen and put me on a good mood. The story behind the band is also interesting although tragic.

Such a cool listen. I was more acquainted with other Malian artists such as Ali Farka Touré but this is a record that encapsulates well that sound as appears to be an easy entry point to that sort of music. 8/10 [KEEP]

before listening: "world music" :( on hitting play: "oh damn, ok"

Not terrible

Will never listen again but I quite enjoyed

Great. I liked it. A bit of Carlos Santana in there.

Good album.

Probably a 4 or so without the language barrier. Grooves, sounds great. Cool backstory. Just got a little samey for me 2/3rds of the way through. Love the last track.

The music on this album sounded great, do not speak the language but from reading their sentiments are hopeful and worth a listen.

Erikoista. Todella erikoista. Viidakkofibat. Ei varmaan mene jatkokuunteluun, mutta ihan kivoista bluussahteluista pari tähteä, ja erikoisuudesta ylimääräinen Viidakon Tähtönen.

Much better after a couple of duds. What’s not to like about Malians covering the Clash?!

A nice listen, with a bluesy rock sound with hints of African music laced throughout. Even more extraordinary that this record exists given what its members had gone through to make it! It probably washed over me after a while though. It all had a good sound, but faded into the background as songs became a bit similar.

What an incredible back-story this album has! The music on it isn’t quite as remarkable, but it’s still pretty decent. It’s essentially American-style blues-rock with a Malian twist, in a similar mould to Tinariwen and Ali Farka Touré, who I’m very slightly more familiar with. My inability to understand the lyrics does mean I’m unfortunately unable to appreciate all aspects of the music; no fault of the band, of course, but it does factor into my personal rating. There is a good level of energy throughout, and enough variety to keep my interest to the end. Enough for 3 stars.

A lot of the emotion does get lost in translation, but there are some good jams.

when I will go to Mali I will mention that I know this group

This one’s cool because the instrumentals are unashamedly Western, just with non-English vocals. They’re definitely bluesy, and each song is actually distinct from one another. That’s something American blues rock bands should take note of. Their story is really interesting, but it’s hard to find trustworthy lyric translations for their songs. I think the feelings of the music carry through, but I wish I had a little more regarding the lyrics. Again, good background listen and they’d probably kick ass live, but not something I’d jump for again. Favorite track: Petit Metier

Quite enjoyable and very different!

I feel like i need more context but some of these songs really fucked

Like how hypnotic and repetitive (in a good way) this is but wish it had a less polished production and would just generally get even wilder and into more psychedelic territories. Either way, this is, again, the type of albums I wish this list had more of.

Holy shit, this is a cool album. The guitar is insane. I didn't expect more traditional African style vocals to work so well with rock music. This is a true gem that I would have never listened to if not for the generator.

Pretty good. Would I ever listen again? Probably not. Did I enjoy it? Also probably not. I would absolutely recommend this to someone who wants to listen to music made by people from Tumbuktu, though.

Uhmm I don't know Stand-outs - Irganda - Petit Metier

This was not what I was expecting, I don't know what I was but not this, and it was pretty good!

Incredible backstory to this band that shows in the music they made on this album. Soubour and Jolie in particular. 3.5-4/5

Et malisk band med en interessant bakgrunnshistorie. De synger på sitt lokale språk, med spreke blues rock-rytmer i bakgrunnen. En real overraskelse, for dette likte jeg godt. Kan dog kritiseres for å være rimelig “one-note”. Top 3: Al Hassidi Terei, Sekou Oumarou, Soubour

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.

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.

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

Desertic

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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!

Interestin enough eh

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.

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

que RANDOM

a pleasant surprise though nothing spectacular

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.

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

Perfectly acceptable, but nothing really grabbed me.

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

sommige trackjes zijn wel gaaf wil eig 3,5 geven

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 :)

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

1 or 2 bangers, overall enjoyable

Africa makes it interesting and exotic.

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

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

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

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.

Lovely.

3.5*/5 01.30.2026

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.

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

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. ★★★

achei divertido e muito diferente

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

Good reminded me of Santana

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

Has a nice mix of blues with African rhythms

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

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

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.

Pretty good album

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 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

Started slow, but got better.

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

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

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

I liked tb

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⭐️

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.

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

Nothing too notable. Very average.

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

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.

Ok, but not brilliant

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

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)

🔥

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

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.

First listen

Började bra, men sen gick det in för mycket i samma trista World-gung som vanligt

Good background story and chill music but because of the language barrier I’ll give it 3 stars

Muziek waar ik sporadisch naar luister. Instrumentaal heel fijn. Taaltechnisch een flinke barrière. Erg repetitief met een droneachtige feel bij de zanglijnen en riffs. Wel prima, zal ik vaker opzetten. 6.0

Only heard two songs, not really my thing

Definitely an album I would not have been exposed to otherwise lol

Interesting to hear global blues

This album is pretty cool. It takes the familiarities of blues and applies them in an African context. This doesn’t really do anything new, but I didn’t think it really has to. It’s a fun time. Favorites were Soubour, Al Hassidi Terei, and Nick.

This one was cool, loved the music and if not for the language barrier, would have scored higher for me! These are some cool dudes making some nice bluesy music. Pleasantly surprised!

Light 3,5

A fun blues album. Enjoyed the guitar. High 3 low 4

Blues music with an African accent

I am impressed at how fresh this sounds, a familiar genre (blues) given a fresh coat of paint. Interesting writing throughout and a consistently good mood.

pretty okay.

Im not gonna lie, I didn’t finish the whole album. It was good, just not my style!

nice vibes

Good vibes but only listened to half

Liked this a lot. Got a bit same-y at the end, which I feel happens for me when I don't speak the language. That's a quibble though, this is enjoyable throughout. Had never heard of them. Worth reading their backstory.

Heard first phew songs they were great

Cool!

I would have never listened to this if not for this list. It is not something I enjoy african blues, but I appreciate how musically talented all of these individuals are, especially the guitarist 2.5 rounded to 3

3.07/5 Top Songs: Should I Stay or Should I Go?, Kashmir, Soul Makossa

This is a 3.5 I hate I can’t do half stars.

Great blues rock album. Not a genre I go to, but I enjoyed listening to this, it had a lot of great energy. It kind of reminded me of how the Black Keys would sound if I actually liked them. History of the band is pretty interesting as well. 3.25/5

This was really fun and enjoyable to listen to. I feel like I would've enjoyed this much more if I understood the lyrics. Still, I liked this band's sound.

Love. Is the family name Touré as common in West Africa as Johnson in Rock Ridge? Watch the 2015 doc They Will Have To Kill Us First

Cool afro blues

Liked this quite a bit. Wasn’t too familiar with African rock so this was cool. 3 stars

Cool.

The opening track was quite promising, I was hoping the rest of the album would follow suit, and in some ways it did. I totally see why Damon Albarn collabed with the group. But I just can’t see myself coming back to this album.