Reviews (page 8 of 12)
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.
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.
Every once in a while some foreign music gets some recognition in the West. And I don’t mean music from Japan or Korea, I mean from somewhere that most people probably wouldn’t have heard of. Usually it has to have some sort of story behind it, so Music in Exile fits the bill completely. The opening track, Soubour, was recorded as part of a compilation album led by the music missionaries of the Africa Express, and whilst the other ten tracks can match its blues brilliance, none can surpass its statement. These guys were forced to move from the north of Mali when Jihadists banned music. In Bamako they concocted this forty minute demonstration of blues rock of the kind that is often seen coming out of North and West Africa. By that metric, there’s nothing much new in here. But by the metric of cool, there’s a whole lot to appreciate, because if these guys are anything, they’re fucking cool.
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.