Music in Exile

I may have heard something from this group before but not positive. Interesting background for the band and I was just looking at Mali on Google Maps, which is funny.

Not sure what I was expecting but this is pretty good. Some nice guitar work.

Entertaining, upbeat, emotional — but that’s as far as it goes.

An actual album created in exile. An album of music preservation. These gentlemen were run out of their homeland by jihadists. That fact adds a definite level of urgency to this project. This music has a fresh uplifting feel. It's not exuberant, though. It's sober. It's the blues. The songs don't follow the normal western "verse, verse, chorus..." structure. Rather, each song finds a nice groove and sits there for nearly the entire song. This album is pretty much a collection of really nice contemplative groove pieces. Since it's not recorded in English, I can't comment on any of the lyrical content. Nonetheless, it's an enjoyable listen.

Poor mans Amado and Mariam

This was a nice and pleasing listen, I played it thru twice. None of the tracks in particular stood out to me, but I did enjoy the percussion on “Irganda.” This is right on the line, 3.5 for me.

I like this! I haven't listened to enough desert blues to be able to tell you if this is a really good album or not, but I can tell that the production is high quality. But I really don't have much else to say about it? It's good and vibey, a fun version of blues. Favorite Song(s): Sekou Oumarou

Something very different quite enjoyable. Probably wouldn’t listen to it again though

It was okay enough, a bit of a different and refreshing perspective.

Отличный альбом. Возьму на заметку. Настоящий африканский блюз, необычно. Альбому не хватает хитовости, поэтому тройка, но на самом деле можно и четверку было б ставить

Cool sound

Enjoyed the Latin elements in songs but mostly found it to be background music

Very enjoyable listen though I doubt I'll return to it. Appreciate the driving guitars, complex rhythms, and overall warm and boppy vibe. 3.3/5

I don't think I'll be listening to this album again. I'm not a desert blues kinda girl. But this challenge is to listen to new things so I'm glad I took time to experience it.

Odd, not bad

Not typically my kind of thing, but this was fine, some interesting songs

Favorite track(s): Soubour, Irganda, Al Hassidi Terei

This was an engaging listen - probably the best of any "world music" album so far on this project. Not sure something I would listen to regularly but enjoyable. 3/5

This is cool

6/10

What a unique sound.

Decent listen, but not my thing

Music I'm unfamiliar with, but really enjoyable: great sound, great rhythm.

i think i am very simply not a blues guy. favorite song is probably Ai Tchere Bele (slaps), Mali is also lovely and sad. good shit

i dont think modern blues are for me ? sorry world

Rating: 6/10 An album that may be on this essential list for its cultural significance rather than being a ‘top 1000 albums ever’ kinda thing. These Afro-blues rock songs are definitely not bad but the genre isn’t really my thing and this probably isn’t something I’m going to return to ever

banger story but music only okay

50/50.

interessante

I’m glad I read the Wikipedia first, wouldn’t have liked it that much without it. Last track was my favorite

New sound for me. Really liked it.

Fun

Enjoyable. Nice vibes but did turn into background music after a while. Bet these guys are mint live.

Solid 3 - 3.5

full of tracks that are fun and unique. not something i would choose to listen to all the time but it's always enjoyable when i do listen to this type of music. the meaning and themes behind the album is amazing too. 'sekou oumarou' will forever be remembered as the song i was listening to when i managed to secure last minute hayley williams tickets after two days of incessantly refreshing ticketmaster

Low-key vibes? 3,75

really enjoyed the music of it

Love the guitar tone! Solid blues. The story of the album made me want to like it before I even got started

It was good. Interesting music. Don’t know if I’d listen to it all the time.

A lot of great grooves and tones. Very fun.

Less blusier that I've expected. I don't like world music, but this was a nice listen. Not sure I will return to it often though

not bad

Really cool album. Great guitar work, good vocals, pretty good songwriting. The history behind the music is amazing. The band is a literal group of Malian exiles. Favorite songs: Mali, Soubour, Nick.

Can't understand the singing in their native Songhai but musically alone it is great

Really great jams and instrumentation. Especially the guitar heavy tracks

1. Soubour - 7 Really good guitar play on this track. Beat on this track is also fantastic. It's just a super fun listen. 2. Irganda - 6 The vocals on this and the guitar sounds nice but the beat just makes the track sound like it's a little too fast paced and rushed. 3. Al Hassidi Terei - 6 The quicker parts are very good while the slower parts are repetitive in the lyrics. Brilliant guitar on the track as well. 4. Sekou Oumarou - 4 There's not a lot to this track. Vocally it's very good but instrumentally it's a little bit stale. 5. Nick - 9 Brilliant track. The guitars sound so good and I love how the signing goes from lead to the group in unison and back to the lead absolutely flawlessly. Superb. 6. Ai Tchere Bele - 5 The lyrics sound a little overpowered by the guitar on this track. The sound is still good but it's just hard to get into the rhythm of the track. 7. Wayei (feat. Kaira Arby) - 5 It's a bit repetitive at times. Bit of a pass over track. Sounds good, but just goes on for a little bit to long. 8. Petit Metier - 6 Decent slower song that builds nicely into a decent sound. Lyrically it falls off a bit but it's not all too bad. An okay track. 9. Jolie - 6 Another slow burner that builds well. It's a decent track. The sound at the end is brilliant and made the track worth the wait in the built up to the end. 10. Desert Melodie - 5 I understand the significance of a track like this but I do think there are significantly better tracks on the album. Overall not bad but not as enjoyable a sound as what is on the front of the album. 11. Mali - 6 Good sound to end the album. The vocal exploration of range on this track is the highlight. Average Rating: 5.91 Adjusted to 5-Point Scale: 2.95 Rounded Up: 3 Stars

Like the music, but I don't understand the words

I enjoyed this album, but it definitely is indicative of US/UK critics uplifting overseas artists that have ties to existing US/UK acts. This album was pretty good, but I was hoping for something with a bit more edge to it. Those are my tastes though, I'm sure others will be spinning this for years.

Amusant !

This one was super cool, I don't really have much to say outside of it being a good vibe and something I probably wouldn't come back to but enjoyed listening to

Forgot everything about this one since I listened to it, must have been mid

Super

Very interesting record. I cannot really give this a fair review since the cultural difference and differences in language make it hard to fully grasp what this record is about. Yet it’s so cool to hear these blues tracks with all these inspirations and inputs that are far beyond my knowledge. You can hear how this is different from your regular American blues and I love that’s it’s so easy so hear that difference. Loved the guitar play and the vocals were great, especially all those half notes mixed in there. Not something I would really come back to, yet still glad I got to experience this and make it a part of my musical knowledge and feeling!

It was a good listen. It's the kind of thing that made me want to do this album a day . I would probably never have heard it otherwise. While I did dig it, it's not one of those things I'd probably seek out to listen again. Though if I were on the streets in Mali and heard this band playing from a venue nearby, I'd definitely check it out. 3.5

Vibrant, funky album! Great to have on in the background while doing chores

Really cool stuff. Super great background music i loved the grooves

Music rocks, just awesome guitar playing and it grooves so hard. Hard to get me properly into an album when I don’t understand the lyrics but this rocked. 3.5

These guys have a lot of talent. Cool light rock / blues vibe from these artists from Africa.

Pretty rocking! Didn’t really hit me emotionally because of the language barrier. But these guys are good!

4/10 - Not my style, but not bad. Being called “desert blues” I can see how it would be best fit to listen to on a walk-through west Africa. The band being from Mali and singing in Songhai seems fitting, although it’s not my cup of tea, it was quite a pleasant an unique listen.

I was torn a bit by this album. I enjoyed some of the songs, and the guitar was excellent in places, but ultimately it pretty much sounded like a North African guitar band. And, to be overly reductive, there is a pretty common North African guitar band sound, and this wasn't a particularly transcendent version of that. So, yeah, it was fine.

I like this style of music and have listened to some Ali Farka Toure records and Mdou Moctar. It was cool to hear a different take on desert blues, but no tracks really grabbed me and I’m not super sure I will revisit this.

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

Great album and vocals.

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.

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

Fine

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

Pretty chill. I liked the weird time signatures.

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

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

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

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.

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

Bit dull apart from one good song

Surprisingly good album. Had not heard of them before.

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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"

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

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.

Interesting

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

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

Iš istorijos įdomūs, muzikaliai visai nieko.

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.

--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

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 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.

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.

Pretty decent, pleasantly surprised by this wild card

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

African Blues.. aumal spannend

Ok not my cup of tea but good

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

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.

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

Weirdly enjoyable.

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 liked the vibe

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.

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.

cool

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

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

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.

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

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.

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

Interesting punk sound from mali

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

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.

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

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.

I like this

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.

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.

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

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

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.

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

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.

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.

Interesting, bluesy grooves

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.

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

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

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.

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.

Afrorock

me gusto mas la segunda escucha. volvere a escuchar. la primera fue en el consum esperando a q me hiciesen un poke la espera se me hizo eterna

Interesting

Nice morning vibes on this one. Will never listen to it again but if I run into it again I’ll be like oh yeah this album. 2.5. Stars

Music was excellent, lyrics had nice movement to it but not understanding it didnt hit the same, will definitely listen to this again though. really a 3.5

The beautiful thing about music is that it can bypass language barriers. The blues playing on this album is pretty incredible. It's so interesting how this rockabilly sound turned out with the influences of the Niger River sound. There's a grooving dance vibe throughout the album, a long with rock and blues elements obviously. The instrumentals stick to meat and potatoes bass and guitar, the drums really stand out as being traditionally African though, complete with multi-rhythmic drum grooves and all. The vocals on Wayei are absolutely spellbinding. This album features a lot of chant-style vocals and call-response vocals featured in more traditional African folk music. The acoustic cuts are pretty in their own way, and some of them are for sure a little stronger than the others. Overall a pretty enjoyable blues-world tinged rock album with VERY cool drum/vocal/guitar riffs. Would've liked to see a tad bit more traditional folk instrumentation throughout though.

J'avais bien aimé cet album du Mali quand j'etais tombé dessus il y a 10 ans. Des rhythmes qui feelent instables et des melodies presque atonales, pas familier pour les oreilles occidentales, mais ça reste bien ancré dans les codes du rock et blues, avec la vibe de band, les back vocals à l'unisson, les turnover blues (genre le début de Nick), la guit électrique. Une nouvelle écoute aujourdhui permet de remarquer que cetait pas si hot, quelques performances et tones qui laissent un peu à désirer, mais les good vibes sont encore là <3

Wonderful African music

3,3

I really liked it. Like Blues meets Fela Kuti

a world album with influences from blues, gotta say these albums are the reason why i do this. honestly could do with more african influence as it half felt like the record label wanted to turn it down but nevertheless a vibe

A really cool album, gotta love stuff like this which is different from everything else on this list.

I felt it was repetitive or a I was just becoming more dazed and tired due to this album

Nice listen-this is why I wanted to work thru the list. Enjoyed the music & sounds a lot

I came into this with no expectations and I thoroughly enjoyed this. Very nice background music to work to, stunning vocals.

Fine

A fine album from a Mali blues rock band with an interesting story

Really good! Cool blend

Kiinnostavia juttuja, mutta liika on liikaa tällaisen äänimaailman kanssa.

No ei selvinny mitä kieltä joikasivat mutta kuuntelin kokonaan. Kivoja rytmejä

Jälleen en ymmärtänyt sanoista mitään mutta ihan kivaa bluesneppailua tämäkin Malilaispumppu tarjoilee.

This was delightful. It used african rhythms and voices but filtered it through a western prism to make it very accessible for this middle aged white man. It got a bit samey after a while but a thoroughly enjoyable 2 times through.

Very good album; soothing, nice, relaxing. Petit Metier was my favorite. 3/5

This is my first totally new experience on this list, having not previously heard of Songhoy Blues, or this album, "Music In Exile". Perhaps I have heard them along the way without realising it? 1. Sourbour - Nice bluesy riff. Good vocals. Good percussion. 4* 2. Irganda - Uptempo. Danceable. Nice guitar. 4* 3. Al Hassidi Terei - This has a 60s feel to the guitar lick to it which reminds me of the Slade cover "I Hear You Calling". 3* 4. Sekou Oumarou - Nice swampy opening riff. A subdued number. 3* 5. Nick - A good opening riff again. The guitar reminds me of the 1950s blues, John Lee Hooker or Muddy Waters. 3* 6. Al Tchere Bele - 3*. 7. Wayei - 3*. Pretty guitar melodies. 8. Petit Metier. Ooh acoustic guitar. Very mellow. 3* 9. Jolie. Another melow number. The guitar is rolling along. The backing vocals are excellent, adding some dynamics, with the ending coming to a crescendo and abrupt halt. 4* 10. Desert Melodie - Gives the sense of drifting along, or even day dreaming. 3* 11. Mali. Nice folk style, guitar intro. 3* 36/55. Three stars. Blues mixed with African rhythms. It has a clean, bright sound. A pleasant enough listen. A little low key, perhaps. This didn't grab me. Lacks dynamics, and a little danger and/or despair. They maybe singing of this but it doesn't come through in the sound. At no time did I get the sense that they were in despair because their woman left them, or that they would knock you on your arse if you stole their woman. It could do with a Billy Gibbons or Muddy Waters growl hear and there. Nasty up the guitars a touch. Would I listen again? - Yes. Would I buy this album? - No

This is super cool. I didn’t know what to expect but it’s great music. I mean even thinking about west African music traveling (sic) to America and becoming blues then traveling back and becoming this. It’s blues but more exciting with sometimes delving into other territories - sometimes a bit heavier, sometimes meditative (Wayei). Great to have on this list.

Reading about this album while listening to it gave me a much bettter appreciation of the history and importance of this record - so I get why it made the list. But, musically it was just OK, nothing that really stood out or made me want to listen again in the future.

Blues based band from Timbuktu, Mali (Western Africa). Some songs with French lyrics, but western music with touches of African influence

I have no idea what these guys are saying, but man are they saying it. African music at its purest. The first two songs “Soubour” and “Irganda” absolutely rock and then the rest of the album calms down considerably. Despite that, this was a very pleasant experience. One of the ultimate examples of why I’m so glad to be doing this challenge. Were it not for this site, never in a million years would I find a charming little album like this. As a side note, the documentary these guys are prominently featured in, They Will Have To Kill Us First, is a very compelling story.

What a nice blues, and what a shame that making music is forbidden in northern Mali

Fine, but hard to get into the blues, when you don’t understand the stories, if there’s no funky instrumentalism. So some songs were great, some just the blues

pretty good

This was a very pleasant album to listen to in the morning.

fun

I fw some of the songhai stuff but never really liked these guys all that much, good stuff but nothing too special. they can definitely play tho

African rock music and blues. First half has such fun bangers with cool rocking guitars. Later half is stripped down, accoustic tracks with the signature african rubbery melodies and grooves. Less fun than the first half. Still a solid album. Al Hassidi Terei was my favourite from the album. I'll give it a 3.5.

It’s good but I’m not a world music fan

Rhythmic, upbeat then calm 3

My favorite band from Mali

Solid album, nice a funky. Fun listen, probably wouldn't go back to it but happy I listened once.

the music in this is so groovy mixed with a little rock and roll. i love it. can’t understand the words but the groove is nice.

Solid stuff, I vibe with Desert Blues

I liked it, but kind of repetitive at times

Pretty good stuff, little repetitive for a 40 minute album

Good but also not that interesting

Language barrier. It is upbeat and fun musically.

I never really listened to African music, so this was a fun new experience. Although it’s not my type of music, I can definitely appreciate it!

This is literally the first time I'm hearing of African desert blues. Very interesting reading up on the group too. Originally from Mali, some of the members were essentially forced out of their hometown by militant and eventually jihadist groups (who banned music among many other things, how does one ban MUSIC?). Regardless, this didn't stop the group from making music and eventually landing a record deal. Not knowing much about the Songhay language, I can really only speak on the instrumentals and rhythms/grooves that I'm hearing. The guitar is very prominent (as it is in your stock blues music) establishing the underlying rhythm and a constant energy for each track. And that energy varies from high to low depending on the track, as there are a few stripped down acoustic pieces here. You can really hear the emotion in the vocals, despite the foreign tongues. Pretty novel listening experience, even though this isn't something I'd necessarily seek out myself.

I like their story and the music was fine.

Achei legal

Pretty cool but can't see myself listening to a lot of it. 3 stars.

I love when this list actually gives me an album that I haven't heard of before and that isn't some lame British alt rock. That being said, this album kind of faded into the background for me.

...

It’s cool. I don’t know what to write about it. It’s not my thing.

very nice, i will definitely spend more time with it. haven't heard them or of them before, those are the best parts of the list. i do think the general idea will stay with me longer than any particular track though

I wish that I could understand the lyrics because I was very intrigued when I read this band’s story. They’re very talented, and instrumentally this was exactly the kind of album I enjoy. I have not received many non-English albums so far, but this sets a solid bar. I thought it was pretty good.

Of all the foreign language albums we have listened to - this may have been my favorite to this point

Bluesy jams from Timbuktu

Good album. Nice to listen to lyrics not in English for a change. No stand out song

-this was interesting! wasn’t sure what I was expecting to hear but there were a lot of influences I was sorta picking up on. so it never really got boring -I guess the end struggled to hold my interest as much as the beginning and middle -but holy shit some of these songs had a really good groove. I liked it -Favorites are Nick and Desert Melodie

This is why I love this list. Guitar blues album from a Mali band fleeing civil war and it was actually pretty decent. Language barrier probably stopped it scoring higher but was vibrant and enjoyable listen

Serene rock from mali, these guys really blend the rock instrumentals with their local music in a way that not only is it nice, it's also something I could see myself returning to. Really underrated but well made album

Quite pleasant

Nice blues!

This was a breath of fresh air after a nasty run of 2s. Id listen again! 6/10

Nice stuff! I enjoyed it pretty well although nothing super stood out to me

This was a good album, but I couldn't help but find it was all over the place, some real bangers alongside some rougher listens. I may have to give it more listens to really appreciate it, but I don't have a strong desire to return to it yet.

Solid stuff! I love hearing music from across the world, and Songhai/Malian music isn't one I'd touched on before now.

Nutty guitar all the way through Wish I could dive deeper into some lyrics Petit Metier stood out in particular

Good album but did not have the magic of others for me. I think i would have enjoyed more if I could understand the lyrics. Intriguing but did not change my life.

Started out a bit boring, but picked up as it went along. African music has always done something for me

Of to a strong start but got a bit homogene after 5 songs

Cool, but not my jam. Reminds me of the album Damon Albarn did. Some cool grooves, but probably not something I'd reach for again when there's Fela et al.

This album has a very good story behind it. It was so nice to learn more about the culture and how music creators reacted to the “Exile”. Music wise, I’ll have to stay true to myself and I personally prefer more well thought out music than jamming music. I could feel the energy, but without checking the story behind, it was a bit difficult for me to get naturally instinctively focused on the music. Still good but not yet a four for me.

I think it’s awesome that this 1,001 list includes music from all over the world. It can be very easy to just focus on US/UK music and it’s good to see representation. I enjoyed listening to this album, but I did find it got a bit repetitive for me. Glad it came across my desk, but probably wouldn’t seek this album out again. I wouldn’t mind listening to more Songhoy Blues, to see how their sound evolved/evolves.

Really enjoyed the mixture of blues, rock, and cultural music. My biggest mistake was listening to this on a flight, so I wasn’t able to look up the translations for the lyrics. Definitely something I’ll have to come back to, but I don’t think it would be able to boost this album to a four.

Groovy, i liked it and it was surprisingly good cause i had never listened to African music

dont know what i was expecting but was super happy with the first half, i wish the rest of the album also had some stronger instrumentals 3.5/5

freakily enjoyed this

Not in my edition of the book! 2015. 3 stars. Intriguing African blues band. Well done of its kind, but the tracks do tend to blur into each other. Not sure I'd listen to it again, but glad I did.

Blues del desierto. Me ha gustado mucho, sobre todo por (1) ser algo diferente a la mayoría de álbumes de esta lista y (2) la historia que hay detrás del álbum. Músicos de Mali que tuvieron que huir por amenazas islamistas en un periodo de conflicto, teniendo que grabar el álbum (oportunamente titulado "Música desde el exilio") en EE. UU. Música relajante, ideal para tener de fondo, llena de armonías vocales preciosas. Aunque precisamente esa cualidad tranquila hace que el álbum en su conjunto se acabe haciendo un poco largo y repetitivo.

Cool sound!

Irganda was a highlight for me. Good stuff

The guitar work on here was unique and interesting. I enjoyed the music but am not generally a fan of group vocals which is most of this album.

This album was fine, and I thought the last 4 or so songs were good and fun to listen to, but as someone that is not a blues fan, generally, I found the first half of the album rather bland. Even though I can definitely recognize the adversity these musicians went through and what this album may mean for their story and where they come from, ultimately, compared to all the other music made in the last 70 years, I do not believe this album belongs on this list. I would much rather hear something more traditional or maybe more rock-inspired that has more edge to it.

Banging Intro track All songs in the first half are very catchy, groovy songs Back half starts to get a bit meandering The melody of the chant during the closing track is so good

Good at times, but not really my music

I find it really hard to rate these international albums. Given off of just vibes honestly this album was great. I loved the use of the main voice with the background “response” voices, even though I couldn’t understand the lyrics the use of the voice as an instrument really good. I loved also the actual instrumentation, it carried a lovely vibe with it I thoroughly enjoyed, especially through the guitar. My complaint however, and it definitely comes from my oblivious and ignorant ear as someone quite far removed from this kind of music generally, is that the whole album kinda sounds the exact same. There isn’t much distinction for me between one song and another and it makes the album feel like it carries on for far too long. It’s a good vibe in the beginning, but by the end it feels old. I definitely did like this album though a lot more than I was expecting and I’m glad I was exposed to it.

Ok, so I liked this album, but I'm going to show my Western bias and not rate it higher than a 3 simply because I don't know what they're saying and can't connect with the music. But, it sounds good, the musicianship is excellent, and I appreciate having heard it. Nice bluesy African stylings and I like the guitar lines. I wouldn't mind hearing it again, but doubt I'd dig deeper into it. Songs that caught my attention: the first three tracks were pretty compelling, particularly on close listen - Soubor, Irganda, and Al Hassidi Terei. But then I kind of drifted. Ai Tchere Bele caught my attention on every listen, and then I found I liked the remaining tracks. 3 feels lazy, but that's what I'm going with.

Pretty great album all around. Not sure I'd listen again but glad to have heard it.

Neat

It was okay but I’m not racing home to put on my songhoy blues

This was cool! Don’t know how much I would revisit but it was good

nothing more "world music" than being from Timbuktu

Goeie groove, leuke kennismaking met deze afrorock. De inspiratie voor deze band is on point en grappig om te lezen dat dan ook ineens Damon Albarn en Julian Casablancas betrokken zijn bij het overvliegen van deze jongen naar Europa om een plaat te maken en shows te spelen. Echter verwacht ik niet deze plaat nog veel vaker op te zetten. 7/10

Irganda was my fave track. Reminds me of Amadou & Miriam.

I love this guys’ energy, but I can’t understand them.

Not special, but enjoyable.

...fine? A combination of African and western music, but kinda lacking interesting sides of either. Nothing horribly offensive or particularly memorable. Might reveal more on further listens, but not particularly driven to listen again.

Very good blues band

was nice

Very fun record, different than my usual listening habits.

I was not expecting to like this album as much as I did. Songhoy Blues did a beautiful job incorporating African traditionalism and deep American southern blues. You could play this anywhere in America with English lyrics and people would never know the difference. Soubour, the opening song, immediately grabs you and pulls you in The song Nick also could’ve been straight outta the Mississippi Delta, while songs like Al Hassidi Terei pulled in more of an authentic African feel. If I had a complaint it’s that autocorrect can’t figure out how to spell these song names and it’s pissing me off. I can definitely say this is one of those 1001 Must Listen to albums, and I am grateful I had the chance.

Random thoughts: * Never heard of this before but I enjoyed it overall. * Cool to hear blues mixed with African music. * I would like to check out the documentary now. * Music can never be stopped!

i get why this is here but musically i didn’t feel very strongly about this album. it was cool to listen to singing in languages other than english every once in a while though.

Some nice covers

Loving the music, the vocals don't always bring it home for me though. Solid 3

its alr. cool back story i kind of hate this site calls anything thats not traditionally western or european sounding it gets called "world music". thats not a genre this genre has a name... probably idk actually know what to call this. dessert blue ig thats what they call it.

***An ok album

I'm not an expert in desert blues by any stretch, but the few albums I've heard of it so far have all sounded good, and this one's no exception.

Perfectly listenable album; I like it better than a lot of the stuff on the list but I suspect that it was included more because of the documentary about the musicians than this being among the most un-missable albums from 2015.

Desert blues! My favorite "new" genre I've discovered this past decade. I'm a big fan of Bombino, Mdou Moctar, and Tinariwen. I somehow never sat down and listened to these guys, though. It's good. And a touching story regarding their formation as, well, exiles. I would't say this is my favorite desert blues album by any stretch, but it's a solid album.

Music's great but exiles suck.

These guys are from Mali, and I appreciate the opportunity to hear some music from Africa. Unfortunately I don’t understand the language; perhaps it would be more enjoyable if I did. The music was good, but not memorable.

As a linguist, I like this a lot, because - quote from the band - "We always try to sing in as many languages as possible. The languages we speak every day are Songhoy, Bambara, French, and English." How many Songhoy language albums are on this list? I bet not a lot! (Although maybe I'm wrong, since I never would have predicted this one, either.) As a non-linguistic listening experience, it's chill & pleasant, but nothing that'll stick with me (even though the band's story is obviously compelling). A 3 with a side of respect. Highlights: 'Irganda', "Petit Metier' , 'Desert Melodie'

Good musicians with an interesting style.

Interesting beat

Was okay, interesting beats. Overall pretty chill.

Neat

This was interesting. Pretty decent tunes.