Talking Timbuktu

Really beautiful, should listen again

To be honest, I'm not sure this African/Blues fusion really works

So it's been over 2 years since I listened to this - but I can finally edit my reviews and knew there was one that I rated and it immediately saved it with no written critique. So here goes. . . This could have been so much better, but then Ry Cooder got involved. African Music for White Folks.

Extremely relaxing world music

I love me some African inspired jazzy jams. This album is a little too long, too paired down, and too repetitive for me to go full 5 stars, buuuuut I loved it and it was close.

Gorgeous interlocking lead lines from the guitars, kora and vocals, a relaxed mostly acoustic palette, and trance inducing drone/rhythm parts made of layers and layers repeating melodic figures and hand drums. There's a totally distinctive approach to guitar playing here that I wonder maybe has something to do with a applying a kora-informed sensibility combining rhythm and lead playing and featuring short expressive runs?

What a great African sound. Soukara means "night". My love it is night now, Wait for me my love. 3.5

I super liked this. Incredible interesting listen.

Listened Before? No Guitar and syncopated percussion forward "world music." Mixing makes it feel like you are sittin in the room of a coffee shop with them laying. Good texture and layering between elements. Enjoy the guitar tone and mirroring to the vocals on Gomni (early standout). Violin work on Sega, weavin back and forth over hand percussion, is really cool. Amandrai is basically a blues song in structure and would feel at home with Stevie Ray Vaughn providing vocals. Lasidan is another standout; solid guitar soloing and bouncy progression. Album closes with a contemplative Diaraby. Overall, I enjoyed this album a lot. It feels very cohesive start to finish and could easily imagine this translated into a intimate live set. Mostly this is peaceful background music, but there are a number of more upbeat and even blues inspired songs that command more direct attention. Glad to have listened to this even if I don't come back right away. 3.5 rounding up to 4. Added to Library? No Sons Added to Playlists: - Soukora (Sunny-vibes)

Kinda boring. Couple bright spots though. Kinda gets the same review of Ladysmith Black Mambazo.

Very calming album of strings, drums, and light vocals. There were some cool bluesy aspects throughout. This was a nice album to listen to in the background while working. Probably wouldn't listen to it any different way though.

Really solid instrumentals but the chanting started giving me a headache after a little bit :( but still can’t stress enough how differently awesome some of these songs are

Ry Cooder is great but next to Toure it's a hat on a hat. These guys are amazing.

12/5/23. I'm familiar with Mdou Moctar, but this felt like a good introduction to the world of Mali Music. A lot of styles of guitar playing I'm not familiar with, but may stay with me. I also loved a lot of the blues influences toward the end. I would revisit this one.

Före långrandigt tyvärr

Very very enjoyable listening - and something totally new for me!

Not bad and pretty good instrumentation and background music. Can't see myself coming back to this one tough. 2.3/5

2/10, 20%

Vermoeiend om hier iets van te moeten vinden... ehm, gewoon ok maar niet bijzonder dan maar?

Leuke afwisseling, maar deed me weinig

Na een paar nummers wist ik het wel.

I was hoping for a more upbeat album, but this wasn't that bad.

Sorry to say that this could not quite meet the 3star world music standard rating. To repetitive and too much of that particular version of vocalization

2.5

not my style. ok

This is probably my favorite African music album. I can't believe this was almost 30 years ago. Bonde is such an excellent song to kick off the album and let’s you know where the ride will take you. The beginning riff to Soukora grabs your attention and the song settles down into a slow groovin magic with AFT's soothing vocals and then features guitar solos played over each other. Pure magic. This and the haunting Ai Du are my two faves. I could put those two songs on repeat and listen to them all day. The wiki notes say the genres are Malian Folk and Hip Hop. Hip hop? Really? Is Gomni considered a hoop hop song? Not buying that one Mr. Wiki.

It just occurred to me that in western music we have a verse-chorus structure but in a African music, in this case anyway, we have verse only, which gets monotonous pretty fast. I like the playing and the singing.

Ry Cooder has done some fine collabs with \"World\" musicians, notably the Buena Vista Social Club and Ali Farka Toure. This album is pleasant enough, but as someone else mentioned with songs that average over 5 mins each and not much variety they seem to blend into each other and it becomes a bit repetitious after awhile. The blues tinge from Cooder is a nice touch though.

Kinda cool, but not for me.

Neat stuff

It's good. I wish there were more Ali Farka Touré and less Ry Cooder but I guess I know where to go for that.

Very good listening!

Solid guitar work. Not too stiff, not too sloppy. I dug it.

Ry Cooder got his start with Captain Beefheart, also on the list, for his guitar work. He would go on to play guitar on many great albums, such as Sticky Fingers, Trio, and Crossroads. He would eventually explore music outside of America to team up with the likes of Vishwa Mohan Bhatt, The Chieftains, and Afro-Cuban All Stars to make all kinda of wonderful albums. One such collaboration was with Ali Farka Touré of the west African country Mali. Together, they would blend blues and the music of Songhai to make Talking Timbuktu. Given that the blues is traditionally derived from Songhai music, it makes sense that west African native Ali Farka Touré to explore the two genres in tandem. This is how he made a name for himself, as the incredibly soulful and roots-driven musician. His songs mosey along at a comfortable pace, giving listeners time to fully appreciate how large these songs are (not long, large). And while the album is quite long, it feels suitable to the atmosphere it creates as it invokes the traditions and landscapes of Songhai.

Ce n'est pas un style qui vient vraiment me chercher, mais c'est un album que j'ai bien apprécié tout de même. Ça faisait une bonne ambiance, il y avait de l'émotion. Les guitares étaient vraiment très bonnes. Même sans avoir été totalement charmé, ça mériterait clairement une deeuxième écoute. 7/10

Melodic world folk tunes.

This is not my usual music, but it's always excellent to note hidden influences in the music I listen to daily.

I’m trying to figure out if including this album was a prank. Why is this good?

Brilliant. 5 stars.

I don’t see myself ever listening to one of these songs for fun

Ali once again bringing the chill, though this didn't get its hooks on me like Savane did.

A great soothing record, although I think it misses something that the other Ali Farka Touré album had that pumped it up for me.

This is fun music that really is it's own vibe. It's not really my style, but I can appreciate it.

Music was ok. No idea what the songs are about.

This was really nice.

Hey, it's another world music album that I kind of like. I'll probably never listen to it again but it definitely wasn't bad.

Yeah really good. Track 8 is a Banga. I got Savane when it came out and really enjoyed it. But otherwise haven't ventured into Ali Farka Toure's work and I probably really should. Again, an artist I spent most of the 90s reading about but didn't investigate until much later when my awareness of my tastes had widened. Extremely enjoyable listen.

Love love the talent

In all honesty, how is this on the list?

Beautiful album

Pretty chill music. Not my favorite. But alright.

Not in English

This was amazing. Full of rhythm and emotion. Slow but with a driving pulse and beauty. Dreamy but never boring. Varied but also really takes its time to explore sound-paths. I’ve listened a bit to Ali’s son Vieux Farka Toure. I especially enjoy his album Mon Pays (2013). But I never got around to any deeper dives into the discography of his legendary father Ali. Glad I finally took the plunge. Stand outs: Gomni, Amandrai, Ai Du, Diaraby

Meh

I couldn't seem to get into this at all. Maybe the problem was that I was geared up for some stompin' Ry Cooder and got something much more subdued.

Something different at least.

Jújú, þessi var áheyrileg og fín, en ég læt eina hlustun nægja því það er áfram gakk sem gildir í dag.

Cool. Reminds me of Paul Simon’s Graceland and Rythm of the Saints.

Really liked the sound overall, especially how the guitar sounds!

The first two songs were fantastic. The second, nearly brought a tear to my eye. It certainly brought a smile to my face. The fourth song started with a dissonant performance. I like noise and chaos but this was something I wasn't used to. In seconds, I felt my unease being replaced with trust. A trust that these musicians will make this dissonance work, all I have to do is sit back and enjoy the ride. And I did, and they did. The album was fantastic. It also opened up a door into another culture through a blend of the familiar and the exotic. I look forward to exploring more music from this artist and his peers.

Heard before. I kinda forgot what I was gonna say about it. I think I liked the songs in the beginning.

I hadn't heard this album before and didn't know about it, and I'm very glad this project introduced me to it. It's excellent. The compositions and arrangements are so interesting, such a cool blend of styles and approaches, and the performances are superb. I'll definitely come back to this one again.

Ritmos étnicos y con cierto ritmo, pero no encuentro ningún elemento que haga que destaque especialmente. Estoy seguro de que discos de este tipo hay a puñados

Super. Even better than his posthumous album that I heard recently.

I'm confused. There's a traditional song called "Diarabi" whose melody I'm head over heels about, and I just *know* for sure that Ali Farka Touré is part of an array of African artists who play it in their repertoire. Yet it's not the "Diaraby" (with a 'y' at the end?) that closes this album, which has a totally different music and overall melody. Can someone explain? Reading the reviews I hear there's another Ali Farka Touré record in the list, and I hope that: a) It's got the "Diarabi" song I'm looking for. b) It's as varied and adventurous as this album with Ry Cooder is, and has as many charming or enticing moments. Mixing American blues and Malian music makes so much sense. But you got tracks on this album that are far more *African*, and they sound good too Malian music is still a genre I'm not fully acquainted with, though, so I would lie if i said that I found *everything* in *Talking Timbuktu* to be striking, though. But reading the "user's reviews" on All Music (written by listeners who obviously appreciated this LP), it seems that this record is a "slow burner". So I'm gonna give it the full benefit of the doubt here and elect for a neutral grade for the purposes of his list, translating to a 8 grade for more general purposes (5+3) Number of albums left to review: 413 Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 271 Albums from the list might* include in mine later on: 143 (including this one) Albums from the list I won't include in mine (many others are more essential to me): 179.

cool African guitar playing

The second Ali Farka Touré album I've listened to and the second I've really enjoyed. If this is representative of Malian music, then I like Malian music. Blues with African rhythms and melodies which lend it a great energy. I could have this on in the background all day. Rating: 4/5 Playlist track: Bonde Date listened: 13/10/23

Really not that interesting, couldn't hold my attention for the duration of a song.

Very world blues vibes.

Remek djelo

SO - Armandri, Gomni, Diaraby

In general this album was great. I really enjoyed most of it, though not a ton the few times that Ry Cooder's obvious influence seemed to take center stage. I think Ry Cooder is great, but I just love the Mali guitar stylings on their own without him asserting himself so much. All in all a great album and strongly recommend.

muito bom o som, um bgl mais indiano bem agradável pra deixar de ambiente

Second African album. I was alive in the 90s and don't remember any of this.

Sooo good

Second album I’m getting here from Ali Farka Touré. One might even think other African musicians are hard to find. Anyway, Ry Cooder or not, this album is too repetitive.

3.5 Really nice!

3.8 - I love the layering of bluesy guitar with plaintive chanting. It sounds like I’m listening to the genesis of American blues music. Throw in some delicate picking on the kora, and tapping on the hand drums, and you get a wonderful hour of listening. Check out “Sega” that switches things up with some Arabesque violin.

Un album que j'ai malheureusement écouté en plein récurage de WC, ce qui n'a pas aidé à le mettre en valeur. Dommage...

Ces recueils d'africanaiseries me sont devenus absolument insupportables, merci Robert de m'avoir rendu moitié raciste, moi qui entretenait jusque là des rapports très cordiaux avec la culture africaine.

Loved it getting ready in the morning! Listened to it twice by the time I got to work 👀

this is the sixth world music album i got and all of it was from Africa... not that I'm mad or something i like it a lot but what about other traditional music? Asia? India? South America? what about these?

idk fine. nothing stand out

This album seems like a more toned down desert blues album. The chord progressions feel expansive and the musicianship and singing are great. I’ll give this a tentative three only because I don’t quite understand it right now and need to listen to this album and others in this style to get a better sense of how it fits in.

This wasn't really my thing - it sort of washed over me.

Don't really remember much about this.

Very chill and quality, but not much diversity in the songs.

Enjoyable world music

African folk/blues. Enjoyable.

7/10. Yup, good shit

I don't really care for the droning style of this album. 4/10

Not one I know…. Interesting sounds. I get those Paul Simon vibes when he collaborated with the Africans on his album. Standouts: Soukora Very Strong for a foreign album by someone I don’t know. 3/5

Good vibes, album is long without much variety but it has a natural “jam” element to it I enjoyed

let's fucking gooooo I find this type of blues cool but really boring and the rhythms on this spice it up the perfect amount. Creamed my knickers for this one for sure

Qué bien suena esto! Cuántas cosas interesantes se hicieron en los 90! Fue degenerando de más a menos pero no está mal.

Tiene música tribal y también otros ritmos. La mayoría es instrumental. Safa para estudiar.

Uninteresting throughout. Couldn't wait to finish the album. Track I came closest to liking was Ai Du.

More random generic world music

Rating: 6/10

A 3.5 for me. The music sounds good, but it's just a bit too meandering and doesn't really go anywhere. Some more vocals and additional instrumentation would go a long way. A pleasant listen, but not enough to sustain attention.

West Africa meets Delta Blues. Never heard of Ali Farka Toure before but this album was a nice surprise.

Super goede muziek, maar af en toe wat saai

Good record.

Great album. Definitely one of those in-the-room recordings, no doubt because it was. Ry Cooder's purist, naturalistic fingerprints are all over this one. I think presenting these "folk" or "world" artists in these stripped down studio environs could possibly imply a subtle, rarely addressed racism. Or at least classicism. But who knows.

Really interesting album.

absolute snoozefest, nothing to enjoy in this album

Thoroughly enjoyed, Ali Farka Toure's playing style is hard to beat. Could listen all day.

I prefer Ali Farka Toure on his own.

Sounds good and fun but not something I'd listen to more than once I suppose. Maybe just not in the mood.

Un super album de musique du monde avec farka toure et ry cooder. Quo8 demander de mieux. Le vibe est excellent 5

middle of the bill at WOMAD.

I'd pay £25 to see Macauley Culkin have sex with Jonah Lomu

Impeccable vibes

This guy seems like a guitarist's guitarist. I liked the jam sessions better than the attempts at doing blues. Best track: Soukora

Just really relaxing and peaceful. Melodic and entertaining. Would totally listen to this again.

This is really really cool. Subtle and intricate, the vibe just kind of sweeps you away. Though i can't understand any of the language, the nice part for me is that it doesn't overpower or get too emphasized to take away from the instrumentation. Thoroughly enjoyed.

Talking Timbuktu is the 1994 collaboration album between Malian guitarist Ali Farka Touré and American guitarist/producer Ry Cooder. This Malian folk crossed with hip hop album was certified gold in Europe in 2009 and won a Grammy in 1994 for Best World Music album. I enjoyed the cultural music on this album and was vibing to the beats. It's a great album to hear some world music.

Another great World Music sound, with the peerless Ry Cooder backing Alli up.

I didn’t find every song on this album to be super engaging, but there is a lot of great stuff here. Lasidan and Keito are two standouts for me.

Hressandi að fá eitthvað allt annað en það sem gengur og gerist í popp- og rokkheimum. Tilvalið til frekari skoðunar!

fascinating mix of middle eastern music, folk, and tribal rhythms. very hypnotic at times.

I actually really liked this.

Not my jam, again. I get it, we need music from around the world and not just the same sounds but I just wasn’t in to this one. Good for what it is, though. I guess.

what language is this? couldn't figure it out.

This, for me, was just not able to get in to. It was interesting honestly- not necessarily awful but just something I would never find myself listening to. I neither loved nor hated it but seeing as I would never listen to it again, slightly below average.

Decent-enough. Gets quite repetitive and has a too-smooth sound throughout which almost makes it grow a bit stale after a while; nothing off-putting at all about it but it gives the feel of one long track. i.e. you could put this album on at any track and it wouldn't change the listening experience. Yet, it's a nice listen. Meant with all sincerity, this is just a pleasant album. There are few (if any) chills nor challenging listening moments, but its melodic and low-key nature make it a nice listen, probably more/mostly for background music or working/studying 6/10 3 stars

Toffe muziek. Heel werelds, maar toch wat Westers

Second album by this artist in close succession, by luck of the draw. I liked it even better than the first, I think. A real deep personal callback as well as I actually worked for Public Radio International a long long time back, and that guitar line in Diaraby is deeply wormed into my music brain.

Pretty good, I especially enjoyed the instrumentals.

perfect for the early morning before a hot day

Toure is the seminal desert blues guitarist and produces some very fine groovy, almost jazz-like tracks. Compared to the Savane album also on this list, this one's rawer and more straightforward. It's fine with plenty of cool moments, and definitely serves its purpose in the background. Nothing that blew me away, and several forgettable tracks. The biggest weakness is 8 out of the 10 tracks are more than 5 minutes, which means the repetition can get pretty exhausting after so many tracks. Favorites: Soukara, Ai Du, Diaraby

So relaxing and boppy at the same time. Fave track: Lasidan

An easy 5 for me - I think this was one of the first world music albums I ever owned, around uni time - took me back to the kit crystal radio usage of my early childhood. Fave track - "Bonde" sets the tone for the whole thing and the opening chords immediately transport me, so let's say that one, but really this is about the album rather than the individual tracks...

Ali, after a gentle start, definitely establishes himself as an elder statesman. The man and music are part of tradition, of course, and here fully developed. The Cooder lines don't ever weave; That honor's saved for late strings, with plucked instruments perfectly blending. Before the style's explosion, a volume of songs in late, abstract, comfy, and mature mode.

Washed over me, not my thing too Jazzy

Fantastic album. Really great find. I’m goi g to insten to his entire catalog.

Really good

lol how does this absolute wildcard get 2 albums? Dimery has no clue at all. Even when he's trying to diversify he still fucks it up. Like oh yeah we've got 800 albums from the UK, the Gilberto family representing Brazil 6 times and some random fella from Mali twice. Durrr, I'm Robert Dimery! 3/5 though it's not bad.

it was nice

Roots blues, very very repetitive. Not enough variety to really enjoy, but well played nonetheless. Two and half stars.

Nostalgique. ca passe très bien

Blues. Africana. Interesante.

Too jazzy for me

Where the hell did this come from? This was fan-fuckin-tastic!

Música africana. Ni fu ni fa.

ima neke jako dobre stvari kao prve dvije, međutim ne ostavlja neku zanimljivost do kraja, pa zato trojka, a mogla je i četvorka da je išla tim putem kao što je na početku bila, ali nije loš