Baaba Maal (born 13 June 1953) is a Senegalese singer and guitarist born in Podor, on the Senegal River. In addition to acoustic guitar, he also plays percussion. He has released several albums, both for independent and major labels. In July 2003, he was made a UNDP Youth Emissary.Maal sings primarily in Pulaar and promotes the traditions of the Pulaar-speaking people, who live on either side of the Senegal River in the ancient Senegalese kingdom of Futa Tooro.
There’s very cool things happening on this album, cool time signatures, cool singing and an expansive African inflected palette. But I’m constantly distracted by the dated synth effects, the synth horns, etc. simply ruins songs for me. I was eventually won over into thinking this wasn’t awful, but among the 4s and 3s there were some 1s and 2s in my track by track ratings. 2
I'm not worldly enough in my musical listening to appreciate this the way I should. Unfortunately, I don't really listen to much of it.
I already listened to Baaba Maal's earlier album with Mansour Seck for this list, and I dug that one. This one is less driven by acoustic guitar (which is a welcome change), and there's more of a worldbeat//fusion vibe. It's enjoyable and Maal is clearly a talent - but the whole thing has a contrived crossover feel that cheapens it. From looking online, it seems most streams and info relate to the 1993 mix of the album, which has even more of a brash, commercial and dated 1990s sound. I'm basing my rating on the 1992 mix which at least has more of an organic atmosphere. I'm glad there's some African music on the list, but it feels like the editors didn't dig very deep here. 3*
I enjoyed listening to this and it was interesting, but lacking the language or any real cultural basis in the music, I think my ability to appreciate it is pretty limited.
A great reminder of my chosen life philosophy to have little to no expectations for anything good so that even the slightest deviation above nothing feels like a gift from the gawd of love. This album is Baaba's gift to those expecting another monotonous dirge. How delightful to hear a couple drums now and then, and a goofy synth here and there. Even melody. And as nice as that is, I think we all can agree this is number 1002 on albums we must hear before we die. D+
Bangeer!
Atmospheric world music, in places etherial or upbeat. An album I very much enjoyed but I doubt I would listen to again.
This is as funky and "rootsy" as it gets, and I am a total sucker for funk. Couldn't sit still in my seat while listening to this. Also couldn't find an English translation of the lyrics online, which is a huge shame as lyrics are a huge contributing factor for me. Either way, 4 stars for the original sound and lovely voice.
Really something unique to listen to
Loved it! Very different from what I usually listen, but feels very familiar in some way .
Absolutely LOVE this album! From the year I was born too! Loved that last Baaba Maal album that came up and this follows, I maybe even prefer this one! Toro has such a moreish sound and the opening Yela is another major highlight. Delicious album! Can't fault it. Love that he's promoting and championing traditions of the Pulaar-speaking people.
Perfect Vibes!
Another easy listen. African albums hit different.
I have always been a fan of international music and this is a good artist to add.
Loved it. Need to listen more to full appreciate.
Unexpected and groovy
Un álbum que no solo no conocía, probablemente no hubiera topado nunca de no ser por esta lista. Nada acabó en mis playlist, pero está bueno diversificarse
this was a lot of fun. i definitely have a weird soft spot for african rhythms, which this of course lit right up. overall, quite enjoyable.
Like a holiday in Africa with extra everything.
Galna bangers bör lyssnas
Powerful stuff from the legendary Baaba Maal. Really enjoyable.
Refreshingly different to other albums so far.
Loved the flecks of classic rock in this
I really liked this, it had a really good vibe.
I thought this was beautiful, uplifting and interesting. Will definitely listen to some songs again.
Je fais un avec le désert.
Really enjoyed this. Hard not to imagine you’re somewhere sunny and having a great time when this plays. Not sure id sit and actively listen to it but as music to have in the background - winner
The melody on "Lem Gi" is surprisingly moving and vibrant! That one and "Ndelorel" sounded funnily like N64 music, which is fitting considering the year this was released :U Very cool!
Great Afro beats and voice. I really enjoyed listening to this album
Traditional african, unecpected and reminds me of Black Panther, but I Like!
Wonderful - not one I would have ever found without this project, but I'm glad I did!
This was a fun suprise, it was very well spunding and had some very interesting and great tunes
I really enjoyed this! It felt very experimental and exploratory throughout!
7/10. Good stuff. I should listen to this sort of stuff more.
8/10 a few boring tracks , but overall a really enjoyable and unique album.
I enjoyed just about every minute of this wonderful album Not sure I could fully embrace the nasaly nature of Baaba Maal's vocals but the music is wonderful. Rhythmically complex yet accessible, the incorporation of western melodies and production enhances that accessibility but still allows the authenticity of the music to come through. 4 stars
interessante.
Dispersate musical styles made to work well, with impressive vocals. Could do without the 80s synths though, which I usually like but sound out of place here. Best song, Toro
tribe vibes
Funky, groovy, and generally a pleasure even if I have no idea what we're singing about.
verrassend leuk
Hmmm, I liked the bulk of this, but every now and then it veers into more conventional sounding euro pop, and that kinda dampens my enthusiasm. Probably woulda gone to 5 if it had been less crossover. Fave track - "Yela" is a lovely opener. "Miniut" has some gorgeous moments, even if parts of it are a little-too-conventional ballad sounding...
I've always enjoyed a spot of Baaba Maal. I just love that voice and those Afrobeat rhythms. There are some really lovely chilled songs on this album. Nice.
Leuke Afrikaanse muziek met enkele rock-invloeden
My favorite type of album - a slice of music I never would’ve found on my own.
Cool African beats
Not bad at all, but probably won't be getting back to it.
Wouldn’t be into it
Just okay
Me gustó, pero así como una gran canción larga. Puede ser que no haya escuchado tanta música africana como quisiera, pero de lo que he escuchado, sí pienso que hay quizá cosas más emocionantes, más variadas. De todas formas, fue agradable, quizá sólo esperaba que de pronto hubiera algo más. No tengo canciones fav. 7/10
Es un buen disco, tal vez un poco largo, la producción luego no le juega a favor en algunas canciones.
Étnica africana.
Nice senegalese sounds mixed with other influences
Good world music album. Love hte arrangement, though it didn't knock my socks off
Wasn't sure what to expect. It was enjoyable in that the music was creative, with a very diverse set of instruments and rhythms. As it was senegalese, i didn't understand anything and the vocals were quite forward, i think detracting a bit for me.
I don't speak the language. So it makes it a bit harder to judge but honestly, it sounds pretty dang rad.
3.5
Czego jak czego, ale kolejnego albumu z senegalu od tego samego artysty sie zem nie spodziewal, sporo wiecej niz podczas sluchania ostatniej plyty pana Baaby Maala sie nie dowiem, bo informacje o tym materiale praktycznie nie istnieja, a recek na amazunie nie ma co czytac, ale z skrapow lirykowych ktore udalo mi sie odszyfrowac muzyka nadal traktuje o pieknie afrykanskiej ziemi, w szczegolnosci senegalu, bo to rodzinna ziemia Baaby, ponoc wiekszosc liryki jest spiewana w Fulbe, ale nie jestem w stanie tego zweryfikowac wlasnymi uszami, wiec nadal jest to folk o pozytywnym upbeatowym brzmieniu, ale zdecydowanie wiecej jest tutaj elementow z muzyki elektronicznej, slychac takze eksperymenty z klimatami reggae, czy nawet funkowego rocka jak na hamady boiro, gdzie najbardziej slychac mocne samplowanie i zabawe z synthami, zabraklo mi tutaj gitarki pana Secka z pierwszej pozycji, no ale nowy material to nowe pomysly, wydaje mi sie, ze moze byc on nawet bardziej przystepny niz debiutancki material poprzez wykorzystanie bardziej standarowych instrumentow jak elektrykowych gitar czy klawiszy, ale przez to material traci na afrykanskim uroku, plyta to prawie godzina na 11 trakach, ale nawet pomimo tego nie czuje sie zeby album sie dluzyl, jak ostatni pik i tuskowy material, wiec moze nie tak murzynski jak pierwszy album pana Baaby, to jednak nadal insteresujacy na swoj sposob, na plejke dodam lowe songa zatytulowanego daande lenol
Seems like another token album for the list good music but I wonder how this differs from the rest of the catalog of the seemly quite prolific artist
doesnt sound that special to me besides the fact that its from a different african originated language
Didn't appreciate the preset drums and horns
decent
76. Lam Toro - Baaba Maal 11 tracks. There are bits of this that remind me of Traditional Irish "diddly-diddly" music, (in a good way), but with African vocals. It really grew on me. 3/5
Kriegt mich erst beim dritten Track, Daande Lenol, ein wenig. Hypnotisch und glimmend erscheint es da und wärmt meinen Klischee-Ofen. Bleibt mir trotzdem relativ fremd - zumal beim Gang durch die nächtlich nasskaltgraue Dezemberstadt.
Erster Eindruck: bunter Abend im JUZ. Dann aber doch recht Sehnsüchten und tiefer als die gut gelaunten Polyrhythmen vorgeben. Etwas zu vokalig für meinen Geschmack (wieder das Ziegen-hafte der Stimme). Bei „Olel“ blickt Paul Simon spitzbübisch um die Ecke. Schön 3.4
World music with Baaba Maal's touch of African soul. 'Lam Toro' carries with it a weight of meaning that can't be fully uncovered without understanding the language, yet it invokes emotions of longing and hope. Polished for the most part, with a cultural backdrop style that can be enjoyable.
Very nice.
Zafa, va un 3
Great album, wonderful to listen to as background music
1/27/22
Interesting in its own way
Nice rhythms, but probably needs a second listen before I get even vaguely hooked
pretty boring but its alright
Senegalese music mixed with reggea and disco. Certainly refreshing for in between. (5/10) FT: Yela
Two Baaba Maal albums in three days. The album overall was okay. The enjoyed hte album more as it went along. Maal has some interesting percussion and beats. "Hamady Boiro" and "Olel" were my favorite tracks. Maal is talented, but I can't quite round up to 4 stars.
Ritmos africanos. Un poco rollo. Pero venga, ni fu ni fa por salirse de los estilos trillados.
Whenever this list has picked a world music album, you can generally guess what it sounds like. Chorus pedal guitars, horn synths, funky bass lines etc. It's all good but... well... y'know. Best Tracks: Toro; Hamady Boiro; Ndelorel
Interesting. Not sure I'd listen to it again, but I'm glad I listened to it once! 3 stars.
This is the sort of thing I like to get thrown my way. Totally out of my wheel house, and I've never heard of him before.
Was aware of the name but none of the music before this. It all sounded good and I enjoyed it, but nothing particularly jumped out at me. The title track was possibly my least favourite. Probably need (and hope) to give it another listen at some point and try to take it all in in a bit more detail.
Interesting sound, also quite modern. Some I liked a bit more, some a bit less, nothing really stood out.
I think I preferred this to the last Baaba Maal, I like how upbeat and optimistic sounding it is. Its not my fave but I appreciated it
ma mère aurait mis 5 pour sur je vais lui offrir pour son anniv
sounds intense. 3.
Not huge into this style of music but nothing was offensive, cool that he sings in Pulsaar to promote the language.
I enjoyed it, but I'm left wondering, with only so much West African music on this list, why this artist, why this album? Seems like he has albums that were more successful, this one doesn't even have a Wikipedia page - what the heck? So, why not Firin' in Fouta? Those questions aside, I enjoyed listening to it.
Enjoyable, but I’d rather not listen to a whole album at once. I like the music/instruments, but his voice starts to grate after a bit.
It was pleasant listen but a one and done for me.
Its all a bit alien. Amazing voice and terrific rhythms. All sang in some Senegal language. The synth brass is cheap sounding and irritating after a while. The Bryan May type solo on the last track is a bit strange. Interesting but I'm sure I wouldn't play this again.
the bass was cool
It's not a bad album, but there's so much better music from Senegal than this specific album.
Not for me
Great fun listen. Doubt i'd go back though
Fav song - Daande lenol (dahndey lenyol) - Super cool instrument called the “Kora” Least Fav - Olel - Basically did the same groove for 7 minutes
Very good world music that embraces the 90s
A guy singing his heart out in a language I’ll never understand. A drum kit and a keyboard were also there. And a flute?
Some good percussion in there but wasn't super into it
This is a pleasant enough listen, although more subtle and less dynamic than other West African music I've heard. Not super memorable as an album. Fave Songs: Daniibe, Sy Sawande, Gidelam, Olel, Hamady Boiro
Feels very 90s. Maybe too many world music albums this week to give this its proper consideration.
Parts of this are the smoothest and most hypnotic Afro Beat I have encountered on this list. However other parts attempt a similar sound to Youssou N'Dour but don't teach the same heights