Talking Timbuktu

This was pretty relaxing music to work to. Would I listen again? Probably not. Was it exciting? No. Did I enjoy it? Yeah, I guess so.

This was really enjoyable today - the energy level was working with what I was doing, and it was really excellent for putting on and kind of half-listening to. A fun discovery

Thoughts before listening: Guitar led African folk music is what I believe this will be. I know Ry Cooder was behind the Buena Vista Social Club album so I'd assume this is a similar concept of a modern recording for very traditional styled music. Review: This has a very cool, chill vibe with lots of interesting guitar work in these long jammed out songs. While there are certainly rhythms native to Africa this is very much blues based music with Ali Farka Toure singing in native languages. This makes for great background music, but it can get a little boring and repetitive. 3-stars

So good. Easy 5. The playing is unreal.

A nice little listen

Get Ry Cooder to sing my eulogy

Not my thing.

***easy listening instrumental

#305. While most of the music on this list is from the US or Europe, it probably goes without saying that there's surely good and even great music from other parts of the world that are not being represented despite being as good or better than a lot of the stuff that did make the list. That being said, who the fuck am I to judge something when I have no idea the relevance or context of it. I'm sure someone else could tell you why this is or isn't great, but I cannot. 3/5: acceptable Song added to playlist: Ai Du I've created a playlist on Spotify that consists of the best and/or my favorite song from each of the albums in this book. This list can be found here if you are interested: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7MAXDGLWlwLkFLb8veGfkA?si=FqkQQPgZTFWG0jAUJXLFZA&utm_source=copy-link

Lovely

I loved this, the guitar was sensational.

I found this very soothing and a great relief from previous albums. I absolutely love that style of guitar. The music is so well balanced.

Bloody loved this. So good. Desert blues is such a nice genre I could listen all day. I'm glad I know about this guy now.

Interesting. Crisp, clear sounds and good grooves in places. Other tracks drag slightly.

Vibes are immaculate, but unfortunately it gets repetitive quickly.

I think my parents had this CD when I was young. It sounds pretty familiar. Overall pretty cool. I've been listening to a lot of Ry Cooder this year, so was excited to see him on here. I'd never heard of Ali Farka Toure before though. It wasn't my thing, but I did definitely enjoy having it on. My favorite was Amandrai. I liked how they blended more classic American blues with the West African music. Album cover: C. It looks like a compilation sold at the Starbucks checkout in 2003.

I found this album to be a little boring. Lasidan was my favorite song, and I added it to a playlist. I don't think I have the palette for the West African sound, and I didn't enjoy it that much. I have no complaints and it certainly wasn't unpleasant, but I wouldn't listen to it again. 5/10

OK. Decent low 3

Favorite Track: Soukora

This list is definitely improving my knowledge of west African/western music fusion. And I’m generally loving that. I really like the fusion with blues, and this album was super chilled. Ry Cooder did a good job in adding subtle embellishment rather than taking over. For my tastes possibly a bit too laid back and one paced to listen to much again, I’m just a fan of the more up tempo fusions we’ve heard.

An awesome fusion of blues riffs with afriken music, a lot of fun, would listen again!

Nice and relaxing music but not something I’d put on to actively listen to.

Very nice. The merge of blues, African music. Very dense atmosphere, hard-going bass.

One if the more accessible international albums

Nice enough sound but didn’t really go anywhere

Very repetitive, but for a reason. It's entrancing. And it actually works on this record. On a lot of other records, it doesn't. But they could have left a couple of songs off. Favorite song: sega.

p739, 1994. 2 stars. Pleasant enough world music/blues crossover, and some great guitar work from Ry Cooder - but ultimately it's bland background noise.

It's more like a jam session, not really any songs... Nice for background, but not for active listening...

This album is such a vibe

Slightly better than the other African Blues album, 2.5 stars

A little better African music offering

A little more speculative and looser than later work (esp Savane), but still very likable. Several songs unfold beautifully, though they feel a little like (again) an exploration, and thus maybe a touch dryer and colder in the later works. The first few cuts are notably stronger and more engaging than the later. One can't speak to the deep questions about the possilbly Malian origins of the blues or validate the relative authenticity (wouldn't even know the standards to apply) but one knows the songs are mostly excellent and feel legit in the listening. One's eternally grateful to Ry Cooder to bringing this (and a good bit else) to our attention. Also, don't sleep on In the Heart of the Moon, one's personal fave by AFT.

Wow, an album not in English, French, German or Spanish! And with a couple of songs not in 4/4! This is the kind of thing I hoped to find in this list- not just the same tired folk/rock/blues formulas over & over. Even the more "standard(ish) blues" numbers are refreshing for their use of congas, bongos & calabash (gourd) -- and for not being in English. Unfortunately most sites aren't even interested in listing which languages are used here, many only noting that he "sings in 11 languages, none of which are English" which is a funny claim for a 10-song album. Way to go, eurocentrism. Eventually found the list on discogs, so for those curious, the languages used are Bambara, Peul, Songhai, and Tamasheck. Look 'em up. And while you're at it, look up where Timbuktu is on a map. Learn more about the world. Expand your horizons.

2/3

Good vibes as always

3.75

Chill world chants, blues, dance.

I enjoyed almost all of this. It has a nice relaxing feel to it.

I liked the general vibe, but nothing stood out and I won’t listen again

Incredible vibes, will keep listening to these as I already have been.

Songs are too long, I could have lived with that if it was a instrumental album as it would have been good background music however the siging spoils it for me

Just some really enjoyable stuff. Great vibe with a cool drink in the sun.

African music. Sounded fine for what it was. Just couldn’t appreciate it. Standouts: Soukora and Diaraby.

Couldn’t get this one on my streaming service.

Afrika meets Blues

hypnotic

Sempre bom conhecer mais do blues do deserto. Garantia de melodias extremamente bem executadas.

A good album that i don't want to listen to ever again. Good shit m8

pleasant album to listen to. the guitar has such rich layers

It reminds me of the Saharan Jazz playlists you sent to me, enjoyable.

Glad to get this shit out of the way Sooooooooo boring

Molto fuori dalle mie corde

Day 19 - June 20th, 2024 Very fun and catchy. Would make good background music.

Sorry, not for me.

Mellow album. If you enjoyed the Paul Simon 'Graceland' album, you have an idea of what you are in for here. The guitar work is sublime... crisp and elegant in its execution.

Good bluesy vibes. Due to the language difference, not sure how often I will pick this up, but enjoyed it. 3/5!

Música africana. Ni fu ni fa.

Bueno, si lo pones ahí bajito, de fondo, como música de ambiente, pero es bastante rollo.

2-3

This was pretty cool and relaxing.

Really liking this. I get why they called him the African John Lee Hooker. Smoother, but just as hypnotic.

Absolutely loved this! Listened straight through twice. 4.5

Enjoyed the African rythm

Some decent music. But it didnt catch my attention. Not really my thing. Plus it was too long.

A nice listen to bluesy West African music, maybe not very different from our other Touré album, Savane.

I really enjoyed this album today. Maybe not a big love, but definitely enough like!

Not unpleasant but not much really leapt out at me either. It's fine.

It’s interesting the sort of smattering of world music that appears on the list… two from west Africa… I liked this ok but not sure I fully appreciated it but there were several songs I quite enjoyed, and several that were sort of lost on me. Not sure if it is because it is the second time around for this artist, my current context and disposition, or something else, but I didn’t enjoy this as much as Savane, the other album from this artist.

agradable mezcla afroamericana

Made me want to listen to Workbook by Bob Mould

So great! perfect morning listening during the dog's walk, then a quick mowing of my backyard.

I love listening to music from other cultures across the world. This one was very close to a 5 for me.

Pretty calming even if it’s a little monotonous (2.5/5)

Not really my thing, though there were a couple good jams. Overall it not being an album sung in I language I can understand, I probably won't be revisiting this one.

Blues sounding

Words just can’t describe this beauty. The man is a genius. This music feels like it has always existed. It is the root of all other music, throughout the entire history of the human species, around the globe. Everything begins and ends here.

Not my bag

I really enjoyed this album. It had suck an interesting mix of blues, folk and then more upbeat moments. I don't speak the language so I don't know what any of the songs were about, but the melodies and instrumentals said so much.

I don't have the attention span for this

A unique take on Blues/Rock.

I found the songs to be too long. It was fine for the good ones, but not the bad ones. Stand-out: Lasidan

Some excellent guitar work, but an hour of it felt a little repetitive.

Somehow this went: Mali blues is kinda like American blues. Ry Cooder can kinda play American blues. Let's make a record.

This settled into a nice smooth groove. Soukora was kind of a banger! Also Ry Cooder is a pretty sick name

Album cover looks like a sick chop sessions w the fellas. First song i really vibed to, but didn’t get much from the rest of the album besides maybe Amandrai and Keito, which had a cool sound

This album felt like a hug. I could loop it over and over. Another top 10 find for me I'm sure. I guess I have to start listening to African music now. Loved it all, but if I had to pick top tracks I'd go with Soukora and Gomni

Reading the positive reviews about this album is really strange to me. Not because I actively dislike it, but because I didn’t really hear any of that on this album. I don’t know, desert blues for me is just in one ear and out the other. Maybe at some point this genre will grow on me.

Alright, yeah. You can tell me more about Timbuktu. I’m into it.

Suuuuuuper chill jam music. 7.5/10

Not interested

not for me i guess

Not great. Ry Cooder really helped!

I listened to most of this album on the train with the sun shining on my face. It was the perfect album for it, beautiful music.

zeker niet slecht... maar misschien iets te kabbelend om echt brokken te maken voor mij...

Great background working music, but nothing that in my case is going to lift it above a three stars. Nothing against the music or the playing which are both great, just personal taste.

It's OK. The nine minute long plodding blues number in the middle of the record bums me out.

Id like to vibe to this with some ganja

Very smooth and easy to listen to. Gets a little repetitive to my ear but I don't think that takes away from how solid it is. Rating this one off of pure gut feel so anything I say here is meaningless.

Can hear Mark Knopfler influence from literally the first note

Turned out to be really interesting.

So great.

I received the Songhoy Blues - Music in Exile album two days ago so I am going to compare the two. Talking Timbuktu has better production, tones, and they are probably "better" musicians, but MIE had much better song writing, song structure, and I found it more more enjoyable to listen to. The songs on Talking Timbuktu tend to drone on one riff for 5ish minutes without really going anywhere. That is fine if that is what you are into, but I just found the other album more interesting. Overall I did enjoy this album, I just thought it dragged on a little long in some parts.

aggiunto a caso a questa lista

Listening while driving to work on a sunny morning was very nice.

African folk meets Jazz. Incredible Album!

I like stuff like this, where I can just kind of turn off my brain and let it wash over me.

Jiggaboosted!

This was going to be a solid two because the first few songs all blend into one and I began to tune it out, but then Amandrai came on and bumped it up. A 9 Min long blues song yes please!

This album was really cool, though I enjoyed the other Ali Farka Toure album on this list more. This has more of a cool jam band-type sound, whereas the other album felt more straight-ahead bluesy. This is still good, just not the peak of the music that Toure made 4/5

I was impressed to see Ry Cooder featured but most of the tracks sounded very similar. Pleasant enough to listen to though, 2/3*

A unique style that I really enjoyed. Mali artists ftw

Nou, dit is tenminste echt een ander album dan de meeste! Het is een soort Afrikaans jazzy album, laat het de Havermelkelite niet horen! Want dit is toch eigenlijk de echte Ethiopian Jazz ipv dat spul van Spotify. Heel erg relaxed, heel erg vibey, ik kan dit eigenlijk altijd wel waarderen. De zang versta ik natuurlijk helemaal niets van, maar loopt eigenlijk continue volgens het kenmerkende vraag-antwoord wat je vaak ziet/hoort in meer Afrikaanse muziek. Daarbij gepaard en instrumenten die natuurlijk totaal niet westers zijn, tot je de gitaar hoort die erbij zit. Maar eigenlijk past het perfect zo, het is een beetje zomers, het is heel erg vibey en ik vind het eigenlijk gewoon best wel lekker om te luisteren. Met 1 uur duurt het me net ff te lang, maar de nummers die me pakken zijn wel echt leuk! Alles bij elkaar is het gewoon een prima album wat echt eens wat anders is, het is niet wereld schokkend en ik heb het idee dat ik leukere albums in dit genre ken, maar misschien is dat mijn onwetendheid! FAVO: Bonde, Gomni

Totally new genre for me, and I liked it.

Meh

The vibes on this album are immaculate. Favorite track: Lasidan

Talking Timbuktu I love it, ry cooler is fantastic on guitar and mandolin. I'm going to learn how to speak Mali if there are more Mali bands on the list ☆☆☆☆Have you ever done a deep dive into ry . He's done movie soundtracks, notably Crossroads . His slide guitar is Phenomenal. You can't categorized his music He's all over the place world music ,blues,rock, texmex. He's played on numerous albums as a sessions musician. With Van Morrison , Judy Collins, Nancy Sinatra

Really lovely album. Just some great, chilled out cowboy vibes for a solid hour. Need to listen to this in the desert sometime. Best Track: Ai Du Worst Track: Sega

Really good, really chill. All songs merge into one for me so can't pick a fave

Fantastic, the Malian folky guitar fusion was incredible. A few standout songs

Love Ry Cooder

Alsof je op de Afrikaanse savanne voor je glampingtent zit te chillen bij een knisperend haardvuurtje nadat je eerder die dag triomfantelijk een olifant aan gort hebt weten te knallen dankzij prima voorwerk van je duurbetaalde gids, die je voornaam continu net verkeerd, maar vol gepast ontzag uitspreekt. In mijn geval 'Andrew'. Een verrassend aangenaam album. Deze kun je gerust op de achtergrond aanzetten terwijl je onder je Hollandse overkapping aan een Hoegaarden Wit zit te nippen, terwijl een vervelende, abusievelijk geïmporteerde tijgermug (uit Azië, maar dichterbij malaria en knokkelkoorts gaan we hier niet komen) je misschien heel even laat realiseren dat Mali een gevaarlijk land is. Hoe minder er gezongen wordt, hoe lekkerder het nummer is ook bij deze wereldmuziek weer de vuistregel, als is de zang hier ook nog wel goed te doorstaan. De gitaren of aanverwante snaarinstrumenten en de trommeltjes gaan er in als zoete koekister. Een 3.5 naar 3 want uiteindelijk ben ik hier toch niet links genoeg voor.

first listen this is very nice but doesn't have any standout tracks to me

Really good but got repetitive at the end

Only okay ambient music

When this album came up my first reactions was this is going to be terrible! Then after playing the first track I knew I was right and in for a rough ride with this one! Not a fan at all

World Music - absolut nicht mein Ding 1/5

Very solid album, probably 5 stars but gotta listen to it more for that.

Bueno, si lo pones ahí bajito, de fondo, como música de ambiente, pero es bastante rollo.

Really enjoyed first three tracks then got a little tired of it.

This is just bliss!

Chill album, very relaxing. A little repetitive. It’s a 3 for me.

Another "world music" album which are kind of my favorites on here. While it doesn't scream masterpiece, or anything like that, I love hearing these albums because I don't know how I'd find them otherwise. And it's a Grammy winner so that's cool (if you're into that sort of thing). This was really relaxing and just a fun album to work to.

As always, a continental departure outside of North America/Europe is very welcome. We've had an album from Ali I believe, that's cool to get a second. I dig this one too, a nice relaxed style but still great skill and musicianship poured in here. I got sucked in in the middle and probably missed out on some gems as it slipped into the background, but this is a great listen. Favorite tracks: Bonde, Soukora, Banga, Ai Du. Album art: Nothing remarkable going on here, just some guys vibing in the studio. The framing is a little puzzling. It looks fun and comfortable what these guys are up to, but the album looks like a bad insert in a history book or a museum exhibit. 4/5

*sigh* c'était potentiellement musicalement intéressant mais aucunement dans mon mood/vibe.

A nice collaboration fusing Blues and African rhythms, these grooves are generally enjoyable and often hypnotic if a little languid. If ‘Talking Timbuktu’ has a drawback, after a while the songs can sound like variations of the same theme, meaning things can feel repetitive, and with the whole record clocking in at an hour, it feels just a touch too long.

Nothing more than background music for me.

My first exposure to African blues. Pretty cool

Pretty good album, nice guitar work from both main guys, unique sound. But that's it, 3 stars and a big handshake.

Not my style

Oo that was gooood.

Ok!

It's a groovy sound but doesn't change from song to song.

Honestly, i did not care for this album. I've turned it off after 4-5 songs. It was just boring. Not my thing.

A great discovery. Not my normal music but enjoyed it

Back-to-back on the African Continent! Enjoyed this as well. There's a fun interplay between the two guitars; Cooder's rangy American influence and Touré's African style blend really nicely.

hippie shit. I was kind of into it, but also didn't want to continue. Extra point for not being the same 60s/70s retread albums you see on this list 3

Good guitar album, not one I’ll rush back to though.

coo

Good. Should not be on the list. Especially if there's no Mdou Moctar or Tinariwen

Wonderful! Love it. The tunes are truly bautiful. Real african music. the athmosphere is truly wonderful to listen to! def will get relistened in the future 4/5

Like this a lot. Lots of layers and repeating patterns to keep my stupid brain busy.

This was super interesting and like nothing I'd really listened to before. Felt almost mesmerising/trance like at times! Really enjoyed it!

I’m a little torn on this album. I like the hypnotic drums, the guitar tone and the generally chill vibe. However, it’s very similar sounding throughout and eventually just gets to be too long of an album to actively listen to. I might put it on in the background in the future, but most likely not. I’m glad to have heard this though.

African blues folk. It's very listenable. Includes Ry Cooder.

I think another time I would have enjoyed it more, but I did enjoy this. Probably a 3.5 actually.

It was refreshing to get another African/international album but it was even more refreshing to hear songhoy blues type music again. This one wasn’t as energetic and exciting as music in exile, maybe because I heard that one second, but it was at least still fun to listen to for most of it.

Muziek uit de Afrikaanse woestijn, en Ry Cooder ging er kennelijk bij zitten met microfoon en gitaar. Een beetje zoals hij later de Buena Vista Social Club uit Cuba in het zonnetje zou zetten. Het is weer eens wat anders, het klinkt fris, soms zelfs een beetje bluesy. Ik vind het leuk. Het enige wat ik ervan kan zeggen is dat dit soort muziek soms aan de lange kant kan zijn, ooit in een park in Bordeaux een Malinese band moeten aanhoren en dat duurde lanngggggg. Gelukkig klokt deze plaat in op een uur, precies genoeg.

Een echte mijmerplaat. Dus ik mijmer maar een eind op los. Voor en nadeel daarvan is dat mijmeren nergens naar toe hoeft te gaan. Ik mijmer over de zaken die verdwenen zijn. Waar is Rolf Wouters, waar zijn die Peruanen voor mijn winkelcentrum, waar zijn de strepen op de provinciale wegen? Ik mis het allemaal niet, ik merk alleen de afwezigheid op. Ik mijmer over de gelijkenissen tussen Zuid-Amerikaanse en Afrikaanse klanken. Of komt dat gewoon door de taalbarrière? Ik mijmer over de taal die ze in Mali spreken. En of mij dat voldoende uitmaakt om het te googlen. Tot ik ineens wordt opgeschrikt door een soort panfluit. Weet ik in ieder geval waar die Peruaanse geluiden naar toe zijn. De zang klinkt vaak ook net zo als voor de supermarkt, al is het nu vast in het Bambara. Weet ik ook weer dat het interessant genoeg was om op te zoeken. Ik mijmer verder op het rustige gitaartje. Het wordt nu een soort blues. En ik mijmer verder en ik mijmer verder en niets in mij heeft zin om hier een oordeel over te vellen. De straatmuziek irriteert mij wat en nodig mij tegelijk uit om lekker weg te dromen. Het is gewoon muziek waar je helemaal niets van moet vinden. Gewoon de aanwezigheid constateren is voldoende. De sterren hieronder mijn tekstvak zijn dwingender. Die eisen toch om beroerd te worden. Laat ik het maar in het midden laten.

Categorie wereldmuziek, wat typisch op zondagochtend bij de VPRO vanuit muziekgebouw t IJ op tv wordt uitgezonden. Met een interviewtje van Jan Douwe Kroeske tussen de nummers door, ongecompliceerd, maar wel lekker pretentieus. Ry Cooder verkent in dit geval niet Cuba, maar Mali. Het is wel dus meer muziek voor op een zonnige zondagochtend in juli dan een druilerige dinsdagmiddag in april. Ik voel hem nog niet helemaal wat dat betreft. De jengelige zang van Ali Farka Toure ben ik niet zo'n fan van, maar het luie gitaartje en de trommels zijn wel relaxed. Een nummer als Amandrai is eigenlijk gewoon trage blues, met dat typische bluesriffje en later in het nummer de zelfbeklag van de zanger (althans, dat denk ik, want ik versta geen Malinees). Prima 3+ waard.

Ali Farka Touré's album "Savana" was one of my first albums in this project and one of my first great surprises. I didn't know there was another Touré album on the list and I couldn't have been more thrilled to find that out this morning. There's something just so captivating about Touré's performances. His voice and guitar playing are both absolutely mesmerizing and the way he builds songs, layer upon layer, is just so interesting. I find myself drawn into the songs, my ears picking apart all the layers and following the changes in a way that's absolutely compulsive. It's not great for my productivity but it's a fascinating active listening experience.

Wonderful and varied, with influences from all sorts of places. Ry Cooder being involved was not something I expected, but was good.

A little trip to somewhere different. Nice tunes for today.

Lovely twangy bluesy West African vibes. Music to drink a cold beer to.

When Touré and Cooder are talking timbuktu you better listen! 🗣️

De va swag nog!

The songs didn't mean anything to me and it's a bad sign that I thought a couple times "This is still going?" It's not badly done but it's not for me.

Altogether a pleasant time, though the lilting guitar has a soporific effect after a while. Perhaps that's a slightly negative way of highlighting this music's hypnotic insistence. It's not a million miles away from hill country blues. Spotify really wants you to know that Ry Cooder played on this, huh?

Nije moj đir

awesome thanks

Idc

Beautiful compositions and guitar tones, and I'm glad to have listened to something I wouldn't have otherwise. But it also went right through me, and I'm not sure I'll revisit. Highlights: Bonde, Gomni

Не дотягивает до vista club. И очень много высоких, но жира маловато. Довольно пережаренный стейк Алкоальбом: разбавленный хайболл

Блин, так круто, что Егор рассказал этот факт, что Buena Vista должны были записываться с малийцами и не записались. И теперь мы слушаем видимо тех самых малийцев... Ну прикольно прикольно, ничего плохо наверное не скажу. Но тут пожалуй более экспериментальное наполнение, чем на буэна виста, напрямую сравнить их конечно хотелось бы, но не получается. Вайбы ещё другие совсем: не ностальгия, а какая-то нуарность, тёмная этника.

Made for a nice relaxing listen. Solid mix African & Blues styles.

I don't think I appreciate this style of music. Maybe I need to listen to more of it but currently don't really get it

Loved this one!

Really enjoyed, and I'll come back to it. Wish there was way more stuff like this on the list.

A decent album with some nice laid-back sounds. Quickly becomes repetitive though, it works best as background music.

So chill

This worked as pleasant/chill background music. I didn't get particularly hooked by any of the tracks.

Love the sound and vibe of this. And, obviously, the skill is amazing. But still manages to largely feel like very good background music.

Glad to be exposed to this. Wish there was more like it, rather than eleventy Neil Young, Beatles, and Nick Cave albums.

Me encantó!

Soitannassa ei vikaa, mutta kielimuurin takaa vaikea saada taruntapintaa ja päästä fiilikseen. Jäi laimeaksi.

Paikoin ihan ok, ei kuitenkaan säväyttänyt erityisesti

Have never heard this and it’s really good. Sublime guitar tone.

His son’s album with Khraungbin prepared me for this. I flat out dig “world music” 3-4

Solid 3, could be a 3.5 on a good day

not for me

Enjoyable and interesting listening experience. Starts strong but towards the end the songs start to feel a bit repetitive. Happy to have this album on the list.

Bonde 3 Soukora 3.1 Gomni 3 Sega 2.8 Amandrai 3.2 Lasidan 3.2 Keito 2.9 Banga 3 Ai Du 3.4 Diaraby 3.2 Score: 3.08

2.5 A little repetitive and not my sort of thing but loved the vibes.

Loved the guitars / percussion on this

This was very pleasant. Reminded me of Tinariwen.

Good, easy and enjoyable to listen to.

Enjoyable but essentially musak.

I'm glad this album made the list. It's legendary in audiophile circles but I had never taken the time to listen to it. It has some absolutely beautiful moments. The arrangements are interesting and always tasteful and at times quite dramatic. The recording is of course clean and clear and dynamic as is the music. This albums is a journey of discovery for meone I think I'll return to often. 4 stars

not for me

Very fun record and for a person who has actually grown up in a similar environment , it invoked a lot of memories

Great listen. The musicianship is on point and the African lyrics...... jamin

Das war mal wirklich etwas anderes. Mir haben die ungewöhnlichen Melodien sehr gefallen.

Good. Always liked Ry Cooder.

Talking Timbuktu is a fine album for what it is. The melodies worked in a majority of the songs and even thought they didn't work well in some of the others, those ones were the shorter ones. It does feel like another elevator album but i do think its better than the other ones (how many times am i gonna keep saying this?). It is a decent album that is worth listening to Best Song: Lasidan Worst Song: Banga (Side note: I don't know why but i find it so funny that there is a song called Sega as in the game company)

a pesar de no ser mi estilo, me pareció bastante genial para escucharlo queriendo relajarse en una tarde de domingo, no guardé ninguna canción 3/5

eh

I enjoyed this, very chill listening. A solid 3.

Wikipedia tells me this is "desert blues". It definitely sounds like the Mississippi Delta's cousin from a different country. I enjoyed it. Feels like traveling music. Favorite tracks: "Ai Du", "Diaraby"

Ali is a folk guitarist from Mali, and Ry is a guitarist from America. This is classed as Malian folk. Interested to see what this is all about. This album was fantastic! The classic African folk music coupled with some phenomenal fiddle work (notably on Sega) was awesome! Favourite songs: Bonde, Amandrai, Soukora, Gomni, Ai Du, Sega, Banga, Lasidan Least favourite songs: if forced to pick, Diaraby 4/5

interesting guitar album, pretty chill and relaxed. enjoyed it.

I have not heard of this album before. It’s not really my taste in music; I found it very boring to listen to. Will not listen again.

Love this. A real blend of quite traditional sounding (to me, who has no idea what he's on about here) West African music with some extremely all-American rock guitar work. It was fun, it was great to have on in the background while I was working, and it is exactly what the project is for.

*I climb onto my house’s roof, stand on its peak, arms outstretched, shouting to the heavens*: THIS IS WHAT I’M TALKING ABOUT! THIS IS THE GOOD STUFF! I’m a big fan of both of these guys (Ali & Ry). I love this album, although it does have some weaker moments. Yes, this album has major ‘90s coffee shop vibes, but this album for me is the pinnacle of that vibe in a good way. I remember the song Diaraby being a theme song on a public radio show I listened to about 20 or so years ago, so that song is etched into my soul forever. Thankfully it’s a good song. I’d rate this album 4.5 stars if I had the option. But since I can’t, five stars feels better than four for this album.

This was pretty terrific, great guitar work! I really wish I had more to say, just enjoyed it a lot. Sometimes repetition can get boring (see most of the house music on the list), and sometimes like with this album, it builds up an interesting groove that you can just swim in.

Ry Cooder is always great and this had flashes of what I’ve liked so much about other World music we’ve heard in this list, but Thais didn’t grab me like the others. Still pretty good, though.

I liked a blues-based song early on the album and then the album became meditative. So, I think this is the second album I've gotten by the artist, and that's enough.

Very upbeat with some French. Not my style but good for a summer party background music.

Not my style unfortunately

My second Ali Farka Touré album for this project. Enjoyed it just as much as the first, was great to have on while working. Comforting yet engaging. 4/5

Like with most of these type of albums it was fun but overstayed

while i wish more music from around the world was included, typically we get some of the best music from countries i wouldn't listen to otherwise. talking timbuktu by ali farka touré and ry cooder is beautiful, blues-y, and (as i suspect/hope) representative of the republic of mali. with this album a collaboration between a malian and an american, i was concerned it wouldn't be as unique, like touré would be too confined by western music to his detriment. but cooder is a respectful musician and producer, and the result is an album that is unrestrained and reverent.

I really enjoyed this album; it's just downright pleasant! This album is incredibly smooth and easy to listen to, without being boring. The guitar work here is beautiful, and all of the accompanying music gives what I only know how to describe as a "desert-y, country-esque flamenco vibe", but African style! In that vein, this music is very clearly folk-oriented, and I feel like it does a good job of conveying that; I feel as if I've heard something regionally unique, something that I can assume is regionally well-representative of Mali. Anyway, I thought this was beautiful and well done, and it apparently hit just right on this sunny Friday morning.

The songs were a bit soothing in a "I didn't understand a word of the lyrics" kind of way.

4/5. Easy to listen to. Some songs had a really great blues vibe.

Really enjoyable rhythms with a broad variety of instruments! The lyrics aren't the main part here, but everything harmonises pretty well. It's a little boring over time though.

Hearing this album makes me happy I’m so close to being done with this list. Another album of “significance” that maybe 1000 people heard before doing this list. My life was unaffected by hearing this album. 2.3/10

It wasn’t bad but I wanted to skip through it the whole time.

I generally really like the 'World' music genre in this 1001 list. On this one Ry Cooder and Ali Farka Tore join forces, first songs are nice repetitive African music and just when you think: is this it, the addictive song 'Amandrai' shows up, which could easily serve the music in an alternative US Western, riff reminds me of the riff in Little Red Rooster of Stones. But after that my attention not always there.. 3 Stars

2.4

Very enjoyable listening. I had a copy on my Tape collection decades ago, and always found it a delight infrequently found. I enjoyed. I'll continue to enjoy. Just 4 stars.

Cool African beats and blues. Some solid guitar work.

Excellent African blues. Repetitive at times, but there was also some nice variation between songs. Favorite tune was Soulora

This album had a bit of everything. A lot of blues. A little "Graceland" Paul Simon. A little Dave Matthews Band. A little....🤢....jazz....🤮 The problem is, none of it sounds particularly great. It's not shit, but I certainly wouldn't write home about this album. As someone who's attempted to learn guitar, I can appreciate they're talented musicians. However, just because something is difficult to play, doesn't mean it's an easy listen. Just because you can *play* "Eruption" by Van Halen, doesn't mean anybody wants to *hear* that racket (apart from the intro, of course). The only time I can remember enjoying music similar to Ali Farka Toure is during an Oliver Stone film, when it plays over a scene where the characters are tripping on drugs. It's a perfect use of this sound. Other than that, it's boring and forgettable. 👎👎

Honestly very interesting. It mixed a sort of indie feel that I wouldn't expect from this style. The vocalist also sounds like Ozzy Osbourne sometimes and that's rad. Gomni and Amandrai were my highlights.

Not understanding any of the lyrics really limited my enjoyment of this album. Instrumentals were pretty good. Favorite song was Bonde.

It's easy enough to listen to, but it's just kind of boring. Why are we listening to this?

I enjoy the vibe, keep on listening to it while cooking

Great guitar playing. 3/5

Different and enjoyable

Seriously hypnotic, absorbing and stirring blues from two extraordinary guitarists; the production values are excellent and the music soars.

Talking Timbuktu is the second album from Ali Farka Touré that I have reviewed for this list. In general, I like Farka Touré, and it felt like a bonus that Ry Cooder is included on the album. I like the rolling notes of Farka Touré's music ("Gomni") and I thought I could hear some of Ry Cooder's contributions on "Amandrai", but my favourite track was "Soukora" which sounded like a song I would have picked to sing as a lullaby to my kids. "Soukora" has a good mix of vocals and instruments - neither are too complex, but both have something to pay attention to. When I got to the last track ("Diaraby"), I realized that this was the one track that I recognized, if only from the opening music from PRI's the World radio program. There weren't any tracks that I wanted to skip. I could come back to this album again.

A decent listen, though my not speaking the language and the samey instrumentation makes this a bit of background music. Bonde was a solid one that I'll come back to, but I don't think this will stay on rotation often.

I like this album, it's got a cracking swing to it. On the downside, I've got no idea what the songs are about - when I searched for lyrics, they weren't available translated. Maybe the album liner notes would clarify, but I streamed the album. But still, just playing the album made me feel great. 4/5

enjoyed it more than the previous 2 albums, very laid back and chilled, probably great to have on in the background but as an active listen i got bored before the end of every song.

Emh nice to hear..but it feels like background music, excellent background music

A spirited, often uplifting marriage of African and American guitar work and it is the sort of fusion that works wonders and leaves the listener entranced for almost the hour long run-time. Favorites: Bonde, Soukora, Amandrai, Lasidan, Keito, Ai Du, Diaraby.

1.5/5

Fine to listen to in the background. Probably wouldn't listen again though.

Cool but not exactly my kind of sound. Some are pretty relaxing though.

This was pretty good.

I've always heard Ali Farka Touré's name mentioned in differing music conversations and his recent nomination to the R&R Hall of Fame only spread his name around more. And now I get it. Talking Timbuktu is a soft flowing journey through this little corrodor of World Music. 4/5.

Not my genre but interesting and easy listening

Very nice African style music. Hypnotic beats, chill guitar, great basslines

This is beautiful music

2/5

I won't pretend and say that this music resonates with me, or that I really enjoyed listening to it. I would never seek this music out, nor would I ever listen to it again after today, but -- I'm glad to have gotten the experience of finding out about it and hearing it. The same goes for most of world music. All that being said, this is one of the more enjoyable records of this genre that I've heard. You feel the charisma and joy that went into creating it, and complementing that is a lot of grooviness brought by the guitar playing. It's particularly obvious on tracks like Soukora, Gomni, and Amandrai.

A relaxing listen, though I agree with others here that I wish Cooder had less influence over the musical stylings. The LP is at its best exploring non-Western compositions and losing itself in lyrical free-flow as Touré wails away on his guitar, and I could listen all day in the forefront or background.

Relaxing Aftican music. Easy to listen to when you need to concentrate in task at hand

#30 | I should like this and I somewhat did but maybe with a lot less trite Blues and a lot more of what makes this Malian music, I wouldn't eventually have snapped out of an ultimately bored experience thinking "Oh, 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵'𝘴 nice!", to find the album had ended and something else was playing (N'Gou Bagayoko - Kulu, exquisite, 5/5). I am glad to, after 29 albums, see something in this compilation that acknowledges that the non-anglophone 95% of the world, too, makes music you should hear, but it's an underwhelming, and disappointingly safe pick. Familiar Enough Music To Do The Dishes To.

A bit overproduced, which is sort of a backhanded way of saying it's just not my cup of tea. Not that I didn't appreciate it or acknowledge some decent moments. It's just not anything I'll try to revisit on purpose.

Just a really chill album, with great musicianship from both parties. A few songs are more afrobeat/traditional African sounding and a few are more westernized blues style. The singing on particularly the African sounding tracks is a really good listen and could almost always put me in a great mood. 8/10

This is so different yet feel sso close to home. As someone who mostly listens to hiphop/rap/rnb/trap and dancehall music this is quite a departure from the most lxurious rap beats and even the raw emotion sometimes present in rnb and soul. Hard to pick a favourite but I know Soukora will be a listening staple going forward.

Ratings: 5: I will happily play this album anytime 4: I may occasionally play this album of my own free will 3: I will happily listen to this if someone plays it in the background 2: I will tolerate this if it is playing in the background 1: I will leave the room if someone plays this in the background The downside to this approach to new music is it doesn't allow a lot of time to soak in an album that is completely new. There are albums that immediately make an impact, but those are rare at this age. This album is pleasant enough, but I think it would take several more intense listens to bump it into my active playlist.

A nice collection of arab-ish tunes with lovely strums of a string instrument and guitar solos that work more similarly to western pop(ish?) music than expected. Lovely sounds.

I feel like I'm stuck in a rut of being served albums that are "fine" for me but have a lot of love in other parts of the country. I'm trying to appreciate them but this one is another album where I'm like OK, next. Good background music for working though!

V interesting to listen to, I liked the first half more than the second, which had quite a lot of harmonica like instruments. I think this list would be better if we had more albums like this and less classic rock.

Not my jam on this moody day

Another solid but not too engaging desert blues record

Experimental and improvised sounding. Nice as background droning, but it doesn't really hit me.

I respect it, but it's not my taste.

Ok

Here's where this whole thing gets interesting. I think it's very important for any list of music and albums to have variety, especially something as broad as 1001 albums to hear before you die. There's plenty of music that's not in English or from a genre that doesn't have wide commercial appeal that deserves to be heard by music lovers. But how can I compare something like this to, say, Purple Rain or Physical Graffiti? How can I rate it on the same scale? There's a lot to like about this album from the start. I love stringed instruments, and guess what, there's lots of great stringed instrument parts here. The songs are upbeat for the most part, but also have an intentionally repetitive nature that doesn't fit with a lot of popular music. I found myself looking it less as it went on just because I have so much less experience for what I'm hearing. I know Ry Cooder is a rock guy and it's cool that he's on here, but it seems to veer pretty far into some areas I just don't know enough about. The songs I like are really fantastic, but there's enough long pieces that don't go anywhere that really make me question whether it's my own inexperience with this kind of music, or of these songs are very all over the place. To wrap up, I'm going to rate this album, but I'm less confident in my rating than usual. Maybe I'll come back here after I do a little bit of research, but for now this seems uneven with some very high points but also some significant lows

This is great. Somewhere I read a comparison of Ali Farka Touré to John Lee Hooker, and I can definitely hear the similarities. That's a good thing for me, as I love John Lee. This is a really nice collaboration and blend of musical styles. 4 stars.

Pretty cool, not a genre I really have any frame of reference for. Blending with blues made for a pretty unique sound

Enjoyable background music that I'm glad I've listened to. Not sure how there are two albums of his on the list though. Might start turning all of these reviews into complaining about how there's no Zevon on the list.

This album needed an editor badly. Shorten every song. It did not need to be this long. Tighten it up. I couldn't understand the lyrics. Surprised this artist got two albums on this list. I will round up but it is a close call.

Nice enough, doubt I'll listen to it again though.

good, different from much of this list. if you are a guitarist the stuff that sounds like it would be simple to play is a wonderful learning experience. you will embarrass yourself and possibly learn something nice about the instrument music: appreciated. (⌐□_□)

Independently rediscovered this one a couple of months ago. Really interested in West African blues as a genre, guess this is the jumping off point.

I love Ry Cooder, even if his name does sound like a crude term for a yeast infection

Fairly route one afro bluesy stuff. Not a thrill a minute.

Miłe brzmienia gitarki bębny i inne kołatki Afrykańskie śpiewy Świetna muza

Love actually getting some variety from this book. This was a fun one love hearing music from other countries beside America and England

Favorites were "Gomni" and "Ai Du"

Despite understanding not a single word, he kinda sounds happy :)

Superb

The stark differences between the songs made this a pleasure

It works. The curious blend of Ali Farka's African roots music and Ry Cooder's signature guitar sound come together in an exercise that is very positively surprising. I started listening skeptically ('another world music album to justify the variety on the list'), and I end up with a very good taste in my mouth. Ideal for sunny Sunday mornings. Fantastic

Had never heard of them. Really good.

Iterative Repetition is king.

Chill African blues tunes, some quality chops here, perfect with a whisky on Sunday evening

From the get go I thought this may be a gem I'd love and come back to. The more I listened the more I realized I did enjoy but this didn't blow me away. Good album, glad I listened, may relisten someday but not sure. Skilled players. This joins the crew of maybe I missed something or just not the day for me when I heard it.

This hits the ground running. Great in headphones, everything is so crisp and clear. I like this. Got some blues, some country, some African beats.

Real cool vibes. Perfect music to work to.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Really lovely, an excellent album. Musically, this is pretty perfect, with a rich, earthy, bluesy sound. Fave Songs: Bonde, Soukora, Lasidan, Gomni, Sega

African Blues. Pretty awesome.

Terribly boring listen. Yet again 1001 includes music that I have zero context or perspective to even begin to appreciate with any sort of seriousness. One hour of what I've perceived as the same sound over and over again because I don't understand the language.

Enjoyed every track!

Wow this is some good shit right here. I’m always down for some desert blues and Tuareg music. I encourage all of you to read a bit about the Tuareg people and the messages in their music. One of my favorite features of Desert Blues is the phenomenal interwoven guitar playing, almost like proto-math rock.

Not my style of music