Savane

This is what I'd put on in the background of a neighborhood party to give people the impression I'm deep and interesting. Some will find it annoying and be reminded of the human torture scene from Indiana Jones & The Temple Of Doom. Those are the people who leave early and giveaway the fact they're not cut out for the Swingers Lifestyle. Everyone else grabs a random set of keys from the petri dish and goes home with a delightful stranger.

This is really interesting, partly because I can’t quite figure out what it is. There are times I think I hear Arabic, and then times when I think I hear French. And it sounds mostly Arabic, but then sometimes it doesn’t. It’s so interesting.

This album was a really cool change of pace. It's sound is both familiar and novel at the same time. I wouldn't have envisioned the mixture of American blues and African music to be so seamless, but this feels like it was meant to be. The intricacy of the guitar adds a lot to this album 5/5

Around 30 years ago, I was working with a client that had a gold project in Mali. I was intrigued with the country and sought out some local music. This is how I found Ali Farka Toure and his splendid guitar licks. He was a legend and the artist who attracted me to West African music. His album with Ry Cooder's in the mid 90s brought him well deserved exposure in North America. After this, he retreated to Timbuktu to revert to playing weddings and spend his "fortune" fixing sewers near his home town. What a man. His final musical offering is as good as they get. RIP

This album creates a very specific ambience. It's a humid summer night in the south, I'm on an airboat en route to a Louisiana gumbo party, just cruising through the bayou. I wanna get there while the cornbread is still warm, but I'm also not rushing. I've never done any of those things in my life, but if I close my eyes while I listen to this album I feel like I might have.

I say this is in the nicest way possible: this sounds like a CD my parents would randomly own in the early 2000s that they'd play for us while on road trips because of its somewhat jazzy and folky stylings remind them of Celtic music they enjoyed, and it would become a part of my subconscious moving forward without me ever knowing what it was. Really good!

I just don’t like many of these noises. Never liked harmonics, the guitar is very “twangy” and I find his nasally vocals unpleasant. Turned this off half way through.

African (Malian to be specific) blues is... well, it's a niche sound. I've rubbed up against it in the form of the artist Bombino before but this is a whole different level of unique. It... it FEELS like the blues. But, at the same time, it feels distinctly african. There are harminicas, banjos, and guitars... but also hand drums and some sort of unique stringed instrument (Zither? Kora? Not sure.) mixed in. It all combines into a wild and entrancing musical experience. Ali's voice is pure blues. Even though I can't understand most of what he's saying (though some of the album is in french, thankfully), his emotion comes right through the language barrier untarnished. Apparently, this album was released posthumously and, while I'm glad the world has this album, it's a crying shame that we lost this talent because the album is just really really good.

When one traces the origins of their meal, they discover that even a simple pasta has traveled extensively; the tomatoes are from Mexico, the wheat from Ukraine, the eggs from New England, and the onions from Quebec. This album, too, has such strong roots in so many different communities. It is a deliciously simple dish with ingredients from West Africa, South Africa, France, USA, and the Arabian Gulf. It isn't the kind of dish that you discover, beg your friend for the recipe, and put into your regular rotation of meals at home. And when you prep it, it takes you to all those different moments with your friends across so many different places.

This is an album that I would have never discovered had it not been for this app. Not my cup of tea, but I’m grateful to have experienced it.

So good!!! Absolutely smooth, guitar is just another vocals and it blends beautifully with the music. Distinctly African and also distinctly Blues. Fantastic!

The instruments mesh together well, creating a distinctive, warm, laid-back atmosphere. For such an unfamiliar musical style, I enjoyed it more than I expected to. Now for the negatives. The songs are unadventurous and painstakingly repetitive. This makes the album really dull for close listening after the first 30 seconds or so of each track, and even a little grating in the lengthier ones. Some people might describe the songs as "chill, doin' their own thang" but I think it's very important that the musicians interact with and entertain the listener as much as possible. In my eyes, Toure's music does not accomplish this.

I sincerely wish I could play guitar as well as Ali. A fantastic album and introduction to African blues/guitar. The layering of instruments is enchanting, and everything from melody to accompaniment feels absolutely fresh and interesting.

This was surprisingly delicious. The songs didn't really go anywhere, but they didn't really need to. They just chilled out and did their thing; I like that.

After waiting through over 50 albums to finally encounter a non-Western release on this list, two hit back-to-back. Once again, I have to admit I’m far from an expert in the genre at hand, let alone its African roots (or more accurately, its forefathers). Indeed, I’m ashamed to admit that, with a few notable exceptions, my knowledge of African music as a whole leaves much to be desired. But when someone is labelled "the king of desert blues singers" right on their album cover, you can’t help but pay attention. Speaking of the cover: Ali Farka Touré reclines in a wooden deck chair, beige chinos, a white t-shirt, shiny black shoes, shades on, cigarette in mouth, and a black guitar across his lap. Few people manage to look this effortlessly cool. Even without knowing much about Touré, I felt an immediate connection to Savane, despite understanding little of the lyrics. Maybe it’s because Touré passed away just weeks before the album was released, but the music feels like a quiet celebration—Touré’s final message to his fans and the world. There’s a deep intimacy here, like you’ve dropped by to hear Touré and his band play just for you. Don’t mistake the laid-back vibe for amateurism, though—the musicianship is incredible. The repetitive grooves of songs like "Erdi" and "Soya" are hypnotic rather than tiring. The call-and-response vocals pull you in as they dig into a groove and build something remarkable from it. I found myself especially drawn to tracks like "Beto," "Savane," and "Ledi Coumbe," where the West African influences shine brightest. Did/Do I own this release? No. Does this release belong on the list? Tentatively yes, though, considering his vast discography, one could argue for other releases in his catalogue. Would this release make my personal list? I really enjoyed it and will likely revisit it to fully grasp its depth. Will I be listening to it again? Definitely—I’m eager to explore more of Touré’s music.

Really great mixture of musical styles. Only complaint is that the repetition is well, really repetitive. You need about a minute of each song and it's time to move on.

I found this more interesting than good. Ultimately it’s just not my thing. I’ll never return to this. But I did like parts of it even when things got far too repetitious. 2.5/5

Could not get into the music. African Blues is one of those genres that I cannot enjoy, even if it is my a famous artist or groundbreaking work.

Is this supposed to be good just because it uses some less familiar rhythms and it is sung in a language we don't understand? It just plain isn't very good at all. The rhythms don't keep to their own time structures, the instrumentation doesn't keep to the rhythms and the vocals are lacking in inspiration and emotion. For supposedly the king of the desert blues this is very flat indeed. The album was released posthumously, and it may be that Touré's illness had an impact on the quality of the music, but if this is the case then surely some other, earlier work should be in the 1001, not this. Songhoy Blues is far superior.

Knowing he was going to die after making his final album, I'm not going to disrespect. Thought is was interesting, but can't say this is something I would listen to or revisit. Thanks for your contribution and the unique listening experience. It did get me thinking though. What if Stacey's Mom was really Jessie's Girl and her phone number was 8675309? Think about it.........

Hated this. I literally had a splitting headache after the first track.

Yes I love hearing the same bluesy guitar lick repeated over and over for 5 minutes, then getting a new lick on the next song that repeats over and over. 2nd album from this guy on the list and i'm not seeing what the point is at all. I'm completely ok with repetition if it's a cool idea (I love The Fall after all), but every song here is just one single idea drawn out to a full track.

REALLY good. 5 stars.

5

This has a feeling of soul. Passes lingual barriers, and just damn good to jam to.

Enjoyed well

Nice memories

Would be nice to have on out the back of the new Toowong pool hall while smoking a shisha but otherwise probably wouldn’t re-listen to be honest. Cool sounds though.

I really enjoyed this, very fun to drive around to. It’s not something I would have listened to before but I can actually see myself listening to it again should I be in the mood. So for an album I’ve never listened to in a style I don’t usually consider I’m gonna give the 5 star

I loved it that I listened to the album again.

quality music

Una das mejores descobertas deste guía

Another one I’d listen to again. Love the desert blues sound from beginning to end, with nice variation in mood throughout. Amazing voice and arrangements too.

Lovely - blues and jazz with a Malian twist - warm and enchanting from end to end.

Sensational guitarist, hypnotic rhythms and really interesting musically - time signatures, scales and use of intervals entirely different to western ears, but still recognisably the blues - Malian style. I love this.

Amazing album. Great world music. Great instrumentals. Awesome find.

I really enjoy this a lot.

Gostoso de ouvir

Only on the first song and I'm so intrigued. This just has such a raw feel.

What an absolutely fascinating record and one that conjures up so many different influences and emotions. The record meanders along at its own pace, going wherever it wants and I really respect that. I feel bad that it had never even occurred to me that kind of blues fusion could exist but it doesn't just stop there its got heavy ska and reggae influences displayed and Arabic style scales are heavily used in parts. Much drone as well drone good, me likey. Very evocative, it takes me straight back to time spent in Uganda, sitting on a bus driving long hours through the colorful streets of Kampala. I adore this album and have saved it straight away for future listens. 5/5

Dit is m

Beautiful desert blues

I vibed hard to this

The title track sounds like the riff from Child in Time, but on a Reggae beat! Penda Yoro is a blues jam, with a polyrhthm. Totally danceable. This was a very pleasant surprise.

Great listening, really like this!

This one completely dodges the complaints leveled at my other African album (the Koffi Olomide one). It not only feels real, but it’s interesting and enjoyable. 4 stars, but one added just because I felt nice today (it’s because of my new dog).

I love love love desert blues, or tishoumaren, or whatever you want to call it, and Ali Farka Touré is the daddy. It's hypnotic, exotic, but familiar at the same time. You can easily let it blend into a wonderful background wash, but it also repays close attention, which is a quality I highly value in music. Fave track - "Yer Bounda Fara" maybe? It's not really about individual tracks with this one...

Spectacular. Quintessential West African Blues.

Brilliant album

I know I'm a stereotype of myself, but I fucking loved this. 4 tracks in and I was already sad at how quickly it was going by. I never wanted it to end! Cool rock attitudes with some traditional elements and an overall catchy swagger.

wow. was completely unfamiliar with this album and artist but it’s really excellent. going to listen to this a lot in the future

I’ve always loved this album. Glad to see it included on this list. It’s a great album to throw on and vibe with. It’s so effortlessly cool.

This might be one of my first exposures to Desert Blues music in any real depth. I know after hearing this though, I will absolutely seek out a physical release of this album and explore this genre. It's evocative, it's hypnotic, it's enchanting, it's very beautiful. It brought an amazing and immediately intriguing style of North and West African music to my attention, bringing forth a general feeling comparable to Western Soul and Blues, but with Malian flair. It kept me hooked for the entire time, seeming to be good music for driving, working, or just having in the background to vibe with. It's fair to say that I'm hooked on this album upon the first listen. Thanks for introducing a whole genre to me, Generator! Favourite: Yer Bounda Fara

This ruled. I had another of his albums earlier and did not like it nearly as much. This album was haunting and hypnotic.

not as good as with ry cooder but man this guy just loves to have a jam

Fantastic desert blues!

Rhythmic, full bodied, rich. A truly new genre for me and a fun listening experience

Something special here. Transports you to another place, these desert blues, and this effortless, masterful guitar playing is exemplary. What a talent and what a recording - captures the sound and the mood perfectly.

The wiki says this is African Blues so that's slightly different than what I usually expect from this project. At first, I was worried this was going to be something you'd hear on NPR late at night. #1 - I couldn't make out a word the gentleman was saying, and the instrumentals are eclectic and all over the place and work together in parts. This is going to be a very unique album to say the least. #2 - Okay, this is starting to sound more like blues that I would expect. This one feels a lot more structured and put together. It flows really well even if it sounds somber and mournful. #3 - I didn't know African Blues was a genre, but if you had to have me point to a song that would be most similar to it, it would be this one. Good music picking and instrumentals, lovely background vocals. ★ #4 - It starts with an almost latin american style guitar picking and that continues. The song is very mellow and relaxing without being tiring. #5 - Good beat, I found myself following along. Again, good mix of instrumentals and vocals. #6 - Another bluesy song. Great all around. Mr. Toure knows how to put in background vocals as well as create this kind of music. I haven't heard this good of guitar picking in a while. #7 - To me, it sounds like this would be sung while doing work (something like The Song of the Volga Boatmen, for example). It's good. #8 - First one of the album where I felt this one was alright. Definitely not my favorite of the album. #9 - Short and sweet with parts that sound frenzied (could be a good track to run to or if something hectic/fastpaced was happening a movie). Good bass. #10 - Simple to follow along with. Found myself humming the song after the album was over. ★ #11 - Instrumentals here were good, enjoyed the thumping. Compared to previous tracks, I'm not entirely sure if the vocals they went with worked well. #12 - A good, quality song. Not much more to say. #13 - Really not much more to say about this album. If you got this point, you know what to expect. A good track to send us off. While I don't speak the language of Ali Farka Touré, there's clear passion to his craft in these songs. After some of the albums I've been getting, this has been a very pleasant surprise; I've never heard of him. I feel like this album is what the 1001 album book should showcase more of (granted I'm only day 60 of 1001 so we'll see). So far, this is one where I was confident in giving a five only a few songs in.

Outstanding. This will go in my frequently listened list. Unique, original, great musician ship, great songs. Loved it!

Very Interesting..something I would hear on NPR's Echos

So light and yet it has so much substance. Like Tom Waits without the gravelly gruffness. I could honestly listen to this forever.

I have no idea what he's saying and it doesn't even matter. The music and vibes transcend the need for understanding the lyrics. You can feel the soul in every single note being played here. Just some really solid blues with some very interesting instrumentation. Can't wait to listen to this again. Standout Tracks: Erdi, Savane, N'jarou

Ooh I’m looking forward to this. While I don’t know the album, I do know the artist. I listened to a couple of his other albums on repeat during the pandemic lockdowns. Toure’s voice and blend of instruments are so soothing. One instrument in particular - I think it’s the kora? - produces a beautiful bluesy sound that I adore. In the end, this album does not disappoint.

Not my usual but was very enjoyable.

I recognize his last name because Khruangbin did an album with his son recently. Check it out if you like this.

mali albumi.. mikrotonaalinen avant-garde teos... . ei, ei voi termejä käyttää. MUSIIKKI ON MUSIIKKIA..tämä koskettaa.. häpelöi, hyväilee.. tarvi teknistä soopaa kerskailla.. kitaratyöskentely... ei kitaran stringejä näppäile, vaan sydämen...heartstrings being played... holey moley... aavikkoblues, bamako style... varo ettei hiekkaa mene silmiin heh savane

Absolutely classic blues with a zing!

I don't understand any of the words that Toure sang... and I don't care. This album is fantastic. Blues are universal, and instruments are their own voice that transcends language. I'm not sure I could pick out a single track to add to my favorites list just yet, but the whole album can go into rotation, especially as general background music for my life. Out of all the 'modern' (ie since 2000) albums, this is my favorite. I can and will recommend this album to people without hesitation.

Awesome vibes, can't wait for a summer road trip playing this.

Stuff like this really motivates me to keep with the list. This was incredibly good, and something I never would have known existed otherwise. The blues with African and Arabic sounds comes together in a way I didn't expect.

A true East meets West situation. Like if Robert Johnson sold his soul to Allah and not the devil. Nice blues instrumentation with a middle-eastern flair.

Great Album! Love, Love, Love.

great

Every now and then, this list completely redeems itself and produces an excellent album by an artist that I had never heard before. This is one of those times. 5/5

That's some finger lickin' guitar pickin', I tell you hwat.

An amazing record by an amazing musician. It's like the earth is talking. It's like the wind sings to us. It's like water filling cracks I did not know I had. I do not know what he is saying but this makes me feel more. Good art does that. It meanders, explores corners of the soul like a good story can. And gathers the embers of a life aiming towards its end, surrounded by friends and grounded in the place where the story began and unfolded. And though he was dying at the time and knew it, there is so much life that is flowing through these songs. What a beautiful gift to leave behind.

Lovely to hear significant music that never made the pop charts. The first time I heard Ali Farka Toure was in the late 1980s and his music so securely cemented the thread of the blues as a West African music that my first listen of him continues to resonate. The moment I saw this album come up, I knew it was a five. But why? There is nothing performative about this music. Toure at this point in his career knows what he has and knows what he is doing and his commitment to the fidelity of traditional forms is deep and authentic. He is a brilliant guitar player and singer, and his music is soaked in feeling and reaches into history to source what is to come. Always a spiritual experience listening to him.

Utterly hypnotic. So smooth and soulful. Let the desert blues just wash over you…

Really damn surprising and cool. Certainly the title track seems to be the highlight, though the whole album has a cool african blues vibe that seems to require the least out of the lyrics to still enjoy it. I had a wonderful evening/sunset beach walk with this being the soundtrack. It was great!

Fascinating look at Malian music - released posthumously, this album does not succumb to the introspection of many artists recording while terminally ill. What it is is lovely listening, great as a backing to something, with bits interesting enough to stop what you're doing and make you focus in on the music. Exquisitely played.

Hell yeah, love this one. It's been a while

Excellent album! Really fun instrumentals. I can only hope that I can understand the lyrics one day. 'Soya' and 'Soko Yhinka' are tied for my faves.

4

Prefer the grooviest parts. Very good.

If this album had English lyrics, it would be an easy 5-star. Maybe a strange reason to penalize it, but I really wanted to understand what was being sung.

i mean i wouldnt play it on my own but its pretty nice musically

Good musically

I like it. Random blues world music vibe

Familiarity: 0/10 Notes: I have no idea what he was singing about, but man I loved in. African Folk, instruments playing different rhythms, soothe sounds, Ali Farka Touré transcends his language, I thoroughly enjoyed the album throughout. Real Rating 7/10

Strong. I need to explore his music a lot more.

Super unique feel to his music. It seems to be all tuned the same way with open strings. Love his voice although I couldn’t tell you what he’s saying. Makes me think of cold night in the desert

enjoyed this one

Very nice blues album. Good quality songs.

African folk blues.. Easy listen

Very cool desert blues, moody

Though the language gap was limiting, the music was really cool. I could see myself listening to this again.

Really liked this. Amazing guitar player

Foreign yet familiar. Chill but lively. Music imitating life, or is it the other way around?

Great Album, i never heard African Blues, it's very cool