Talking Timbuktu

is it possible for an otherwise excellent album to be decimated by one really bad song? probably not. two really bad songs. yes. in this case, it's one really bad song and one that's not nearly as bad but still a head-scratcher. i think cooder learned much from this recording. mainly, do not insert yourself into the traditions you are trying to capture. _buena vista social club_ is a masterful album done a few years after this one, an album of so much promise. had it remained focused solely on the music of mali, this could contend for five stars. as it stands, "amandrai" is such an interminably boring slog of a slow burn, American blues number that i had to stop about three minutes in. maybe something happens in the reamaining four minutes. i doubt it. "ai du" runs a similar risk, but the focus is still more on touré's playing and some subtle organ work to detract from the boring blues guitar playing

This has sat on successive hard drives of mine for a while, song titles mysteriously misnamed, which I only found out yesterday, maybe listened-to, not closely. It shimmers past so effortlessly it’s easy to miss, and hiding my favourite track at the end was an effective way to trick me. Luminous, entwined, spacious, more intricate and structured than I thought for so long, as I was impatient.

My simple enjoyment of West African guitar music continues! There are some very pretty tunes here (esp. "Soukora"). Am I ranking this a bit higher because Ry Cooder's contributions Westernized the style somewhat? Judge for yourself..

Яя туре брат, это ты?

Never heard Ali Farka Touré before this project. Very good. Was excited to see Ry Cooder involved. Gotta admit though I probably won't just "throw this on," but I'm curious to hear more. Listening to it makes me feel like Hansel in Zooland when he talks about Sting. "The music he's created over the years, I don't really listen to it, but the fact that he's making it, I respect that."

I absolutely adore this album. It's rich and introduced me to what is now some of my favorite music!

Alright.

Like it 3/5

Unfortunate getting two in this vein back to back, didn’t find this one all that compelling.

I am not a jazz guy and this was not a good intro to it

enjoyed this one more than the other album from him on the list

Good stuff. But, 2 Toure’ albums out of 81 seems like an odd coincidence. I liked Savane better, Talking Timbuktu is a little repetitive at times. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a great vibe for a long hike, or day of housework. But, Savane has more pep, and so Talking Timbuktu gets 3 stars compared to Savane’ 4 stars

This really feels warm; this album really has songs that breathe, that take their time to create some atmospheres in a way it sounds like some kind of music session. But it's pretty interesting in combining sounds (also with a very bluesy link) and bringing different textures. It flows slowly but being very immersive as well. There are lots of layers in the songs, of instruments, of melodies, and it truly is ear-warming, delicate, beautiful and wonderful to listen to. It is, definitely, a very pleasant listen. Not a rushed one, but rather one that seeks involvement. It is really a gem.

This was cool. I liked the mashup between the two musical styles and seeing how blues worked with traditional folk styling

Love Ry Cooder’s guitar playing on this - goes well with the traditional Mali music. I especially liked Amandrai.

Nice jam session to chill out to

Pleasant world music with a bluesy feel.

So pleasant. I ended up really enjoying this. I was in on the opening bars, then the singing came and I wasn’t as sure, but as the album continued I was increasingly taken. Another example of music as a universal language. I can’t understand it, but I could, and did, listen to it all day with pleasure. The instrumental element on here is sublime. Feels like montage music in a traveling movie.

🫤 too polished

I've never previously been taken by anything in the world music sphere but this was an enjoyable listen.

Mildly interesting. Worth having on the list but not sure I'd listen again.

This is brutal to listen to. Droning voice droning on. No highs or lows just droning. Did I say it just drones on sometimes with added flutes. Just going to the reviews to hear people let on they like it.

Slinky guitar riffs in a Groove, often with singing and all of it looping and loping along. It often slips into a Glass / Reich style minimalism. Other tracks seem to be built from the same raw materials blues guitar. Beautiful playing of great music.

I’ve heard worse

what the farka is this

6/10 Nothing wrong with this album - very typical-for-this-list African (specifically Malian) guitar-centric fare. It's nice background music but not spectacular.

Musically it's technically solid which I can appreciate but I doubt I'll return here. it got pretty repetitive.

“To me blues is a type of soap powder, my music is older than the blues” 4/5

Lovely sound very nostalgic

Ali Farka Toure walked, so Songhoy Blues could run. With this collaboration with a U.S. guitarist with a funny name, dare I say we have another hidden gem on this list! The production is crisp, the guitar, and other instruments blend beautifully together, and the singing is wonderful. I found myself lost in the ambience a few times while listening to this. For those of you who are still hesitant about expanding your musical taste outside of the western world, this album is a terrific first step. Favorite Track: "Soukora".

A few ups and downs but ultimately a great listen.

He keeps it moving. I love his music.

Entire thing sounded the same, but it was decent background music. 2.5/5

Chill, agréable en musique de fond, mais manque de quelque-chose pour l'écouter de façon active.

Wasn't a huge fan of this although i do like some of Ry Cooder's other work. However, this did lead me down a playlist of other roots / blues / world stuff, some of which i really liked. So an extra star to this for inspiring me.

Not a bad album to work to.

Really enjoyed the guitar work on this

Perfectly cromulant background music. I never wanted to turn it off, but i didnt finish with the desire to listen again.

I mean, I appreciate Cooder's determination to bring Toure's work to a broader audience but I can't help feeling like he's usually holding Toure back as far as the actual music goes here. The more languid 12-bar blues stuff is too languid; the action is all in the more intricate and vibrant African rhythms and melody figures. To the extent this album is intended to point listeners to go seek out more of that, it succeeds.

la verdad me gusto tiene el toque de blues y para mi combina muy bien con las raíces del artista

Naw

Good in parts but not for me (2.5)

I am sure it is merely coincidence but this is the second Ry Cooder album I've received in three days (Captain Beefheart's debut album was the other one.) This project has exposed me to a lot more World Music than I was familiar with before, and I appreciate that. This album was a pleasant listen. I really liked the second track, "Soukora."

ok

Weird but entertaining

Unique and immaculate vibes!

It’s fine, but did there really need to be 2 albums from this guy? Surely there’s other African music out there.

it's background music. you couldve picked a better "world" album 2.5

61

Loved how different this album was. When a song has a chant or repeatable phrase instead of lyrics it can be tough but this artist was able to pull it off. Love the bluesy riffs and the soulful singing. Favorite songs were Bonde and Amandrai.

In the 1990s Ry Cooder was traveling the world plundering cultures for his own selfish gain. And I'm glad he did! It's very good. Feels a little less astro-turfed than the Buena Vista Social Club because it's actually a named guy not an executive-created "collective".

Okay background music.

I'm a sucker for world music.

it’s fine, not super memorable.

This has quite a relaxing vibe to it, unlike a fair amount of 'relaxing' albums it actually goes places and develops rather than it being sparse and ambient-like, definitely this music is quite blues-orientated. The instrumentation is superb (especially the songs that are the highlights; last line in the review) all around. Highlight Song/s: "Gomni" and "Amandrai"

Nice

Is this essentially just Animal Kingdom background music? Yes. Is that why I love it? Mostly yes. But it's also just damn good music. It can get slightly samey, and that's probably the one thing holding it back from a 5. But so much emotion in the performances and totally different from most of the other stuff i've listened to on here, even the other African stuff.

ok. kinda was just waiting for that to be over. felt very uninspired.

Ry cooter

Part of this was enjoyable.

coody

I left Cradle of Filth for this. Make it good Ali Farka….. And it was musically. Not my taste but better than one would think it would be. At least, I think that’s what I thought of it. It’s been 3 days

The lead guitar is the mf star of the SHOW here. More than anything else - voice included. Really fun jam session Highlights: Gomni, Amandrai

Joyful music, bubbling with good vibes

Beautiful guitar sound. Love the repeating patterns and the relaxed rhythm. Really nice.

Really lovely album, prompting a ry cooder afternoon

albumnazo

Really enjoyable blues/Africana

This thing is all over the place. Not a bad listen, but I have no idea what is going on. 2.5

Another example of one that deserves to be on the list...I just couldn't get into it.

90's saw the explosion of world music, and we are better off for having this record among the wave. Knowing next to nothing about Malian/West African music of this kind (I am more familiar with afrobeat), it was interesting to hear the similarities to the Arabic music I've heard. I think this record is most successful when the African music is fused with the blues, as it is a natural marriage. Ry Cooder is an amazing guitar play and producer, so no surprise this is clicking.

This was really enjoyable but not super noteworthy, personally! I love the bluesy vibe on Amandrai. Each track had a great groove to it. Favorite Tracks: Amadrai Lasidan

1001 Albums Generator 350 (9/15/2026) I'm surprised how good this is, but maybe I shouldn't be. After finding out the Ry Cooder was in both Captain Beefheart and Buena Vista Social Club, and Ali Farka Toure is a Malian, I felt like it was gonna be good. I've heard two albums from the west African country, and both are awesome: New Ancient Strings by Toumani Diabate & Ballake Sissoko and Terry Riley's In C Mali. Both are filled with incredible, hypnotic, repetitive, and rhythmic tunes, and Talking Timbuktu is no different, although I don't think it's at quite as high a level as those two albums. I do love that this one has a blues edge to it that catapults the traditional African music into a (relatively) modern lens. If they cut a couple songs, we'd have a 5/5, but as is, it's a 4/5. Favs: Bonde Soukora Ai Du Least Fav: Keito

não é o tipo de álbum que eu pegaria pra escutar de novo mas é um projeto interessante

I enjoyed this introduction to Malian Blues. I'm grateful that there are a few tiny tastes of how much bigger music is than what is going on in the United States and Britain on the list, even if they aren't representative.

3/5

I enjoyed it. I like the collaboration of ry cooder. I wonder if this would even be remotely considered for the list if it were not for the inclusion of his more popular name though. that aside, i really enjoyed the listen and the songs that stood out are: Soukora, amandrai, lasidan, but ai du was my standout. 3 stars

This is sick! Language barriers a thing so i’ll be fair, but the instrumentals are super sweet. Standouts are Bonde, Gomni, Lasidan and Ai Du.

Forgettable nothing music. Why is this on here?

not as good as Joni Mitchell’s Blue

I like this one a lot. 4

i've been listening to this album for the past 3 weeks.

chill

what you would expect, felt like music for an outdoor concert and a white guy with dreadlocks, that being said it was nice, would be good ambient music

Beautiful album. The harmonies of west African music is at times stunning.

This rocked, a tad too long

It was fine, decent background music. 5/10.

actually very beautiful. love music that i never would have heard otherwise.

The album had a kind of psych sound on the guitar that is now very prevalent it's kind of interesting to ear that in an old album.

Something different. Not britpop

Chill vibes.

Pleasant vibes. It's alright.

Wowza 4

Música exótica não atrai meu interesse. Melhor momento do disco é a faixa que se aproxima do blues tradicional, "Ai Du".

This album is a good example for me that just cause you don't like an artist, you can like them for other things. I'm not a fan of Ry Cooder, but his guitar playing over this album is a delight, esp with how GOOD ali farka toure is to create a vibe. beautiful african album, always will appreciate this on the list.

This is actually really good, with this nice Malian sound on top of sophisticated guitar work that is easy on the ears.

I have long loved this album. Soukora, the 2nd cut, might easily show why. That lilting intro that underpins the rest of the cut grabs me, keeps coming back, like a guest you don't want to ever leave your house. Intriguing things keep happening out of the blue, like those clap/snap things in Gomni or the bells in Amandrai. The talent level here is beyond imagining, Cooder fitting in smoothly like he was born for it. Sit back and enjoy.

It feels a bit wrong, but I was mostly bored by this.

My buddy Jeff turned me onto this many years ago. And I've always enjoyed it but never loved it. This is one of those albums where each song gets into a groove and stays there. And while that can be exhilarating or hypnotic, here it's more of a chill vibe. And that's cool—there are some really special moments on every song—but I guess I want to be swept away.

Pleasant music. I don’t feel well-informed enough to elaborate.