Djam Leelii

Unique (to my ears) West African music that uses very simple and repetitive instrumentation that’s pleasant to listen to but doesn’t do much at all. The vocals are in his native tongue which makes this even harder to listen to. I think there’s some value here especially to native listeners but for me it was too out there to really be enjoyed.

Was a traditional indian music album- not bad but not what i would listen to.

One of the reasons I'm doing the 1001 albums challenge is to discover gems like this album. What a stunningly beautiful record it is. A few guitars, percussions and a touching voice and the end result is simply magic. I don't understand the lyrics - though I made some research and read about what they sing about - but it's a good proof how music can connect different cultures, backgrounds, and people together. This album touches my heart deeply. Just wonderful.

Bof

Motifs en simplicité pour développement de belles mélodies. La voix ajoute une couleur émotive poignante

3.6 - Another West African record in which the songs are built around a groove. I like the bluesy improvisations on electric guitar and other instruments as well as chanting up and down the scale. It's soothing, pleasant listening though I'd struggle to pick this out of a line-up with Ali Farka Touré and others.

I can appreciate this type of music in the right setting, but it’s not something I’d put in to just listen to. The first song is a snoozer, and should have been replaced by the second song as a way to draw listeners in. Listen again: no Purchase for my collection: no Favourite Song: second one? Worst Song: first one

I will never get some of these days back

Atmospherically sunny, and in a way enchanting probably due to the non familiar language to me - but while it’s rooted firmly to its west African roots - at least from what I can tell - the whole album comfortably references jazz and other western influences - another interesting discovery through this project.

Actually better than expected

It was an alright listen, although a bit monotonous at times, but not something I’d look up. Seems harsh but I’m going to give it 2 because of that.

Pleasant but unremarkable.

1) The album was too long. I got a feel for exactly what it would be within half an hour, and didn’t need a second half. 2) His voice was just painfulThe music was actually quite vibrant, but it was painful to listen to over an hour of his nasally sounding singing.

.... this might be the first non-english vocals album where I actively don't like the vocals and it's absolutely nothing to do with the language (i might prefer it) but the voice. The reedy piercing tone of the voice isn't smoothing this music out at all - there's an attack to his vocals that I'm just not attuned to and it gets worse song by song.... ...and/but the music isn't my style either - from the initial "Lam Tooro" which is terribly repetitive and doesn't add enough along the way, it doesn't really progress much at all beyond that ... in fact.... I don't know what I was expecting but this acts as more of an extremely weak 2-person attempt at new-agey type background music. Slow it down by about 1/4 tempo, eliminate the vocals, and this is what I might expect to hear at a low volume while getting a massage. Of which I'd consider walking out of. I feel kinda terrible giving this such a low mark as I'll usually give a 2 to something that's just not my taste but this is ... bad. 2/10 1 star.

Not something I would have found on my own. Worth hearing at least once even if I end up never listening to it again.

A nice slice of Senegalese music. Enjoyable even if I didn't understand anything words.

Not for me

I like it, it's a chilled out Sunday kind of vibe.

Again these are hard to rate when not in a language i am familiar with and when it is so different in style. Was interesting to listen to.

Very nice sound, calm and relaxing. Just what I needed this morning. I probably wouldn’t seek it out, but would def leave it on. 3/5

It was quite ethereal which at times meant it moved slowly, but truly unlike anything I've heard before. Senegalese guitar... was spiritual and felt quite Islamic influenced. Fav song: Salminanam

It’s a beautiful thing being able to easily listen to music from around the world. I love the unique styles and sounds that each culture comes up with.

I like the music and the instruments but not the voice. I was going to go 3 but I read reviews that gave 4 and thought perfect. I repeat: I like the music and instruments but not the voice so I’m going 2.

Heard it before?: No Enjoy it?: Meh it did sound nice in parts buts ultimately not my cup of tea Favourite song: didn’t have one

I really enjoyed this, though I did lose some interest after a while

It's ok... I'm not hearing the bottled lightning that this supposedly is. Kind of dragged on.

Love the dualing guitars and percussion.

I like the instrumentation that almost becomes like a drone, but the vocal style just isn't my thing.

Distinctively 80s with the guitar and production, this mbalax record features mild and relaxing psychedelic folk influences but tries a bit too hard at times to achieve those effects. I did enjoy the tropical sound (could hear calypso in tracks like "Salminanam"), and the intros to many songs were good but don't go very far, with many tracks feeling too repetitive, not just derivative of each other but also not justifying their 5-10 minute runtimes. And overall, it's way too long at over an hour, with most of them completely forgettable. Favorites: Muudo Hormo, Djam Leeli, Sehilam

Sure, this was fine. I neither terribly loved nor hated it.

Zzzzz

Like a weirdly better yoko ono

I'm all for something I have no preconceptions of, but this didn't do much for me

Did not like

Not sure about this one. Kinda liked the first track, but got a bit repetitive real soon. 2,5/5

A nice listen

Some interesting soundscapes - really like the guitar work but they just started bleeding together

This was a very different sound from what I am used to, and really enjoyed it.

World Music. Nice guitar

The guitar feels like chilled Spanish style, the drums softly grooving in the background with lovely call and response vocals. Nice relaxed vibe. I have no idea what the songs are about but it doesn’t matter

Reminds me a lot of Salif Keita who my dad was really into during my late teens. Very enjoyable bop, a few standout tracks but Salminanam is the only one I remembered the name of.

Very pleasant - could happily listen to this all day. Fave track - "Djam Leelii" maybe? It's less about stand out tracks and more about dissolving into the flow, though...

Vocals aren't for me, but interesting guitar.

Pleasant, lilting, hypnotic guitar and percussion rubs up against impassioned and characterful singing. The tunes here don't particularly grab this listener - rather, they lope along lazily and work their charms in subtle ways. On the sparser arrangements it's cool to hear what sounds a lot like the blues. It's especially apparent on 'Djam Leelii', its rhythm guitar slinking around like a cat at night.

Not for me. DNF

Nice to get a break from Western music, but: this one's boring. To the curators of this website I will say, don't give up! I'm sure that, eventually, you'll find plenty of good non Western music. Do consider asking the majority of this world's population, I'm sure they'd happily share favourites!

Not my thing

So this could just be the early stages of a crush talking, but I might just have a new favourite world music album. I was completely hooked from the get-go and the interest never faltered through the 9 tracks. This record really is something else. Baaba Maal has an amazing and unconventional voice, and the acoustic guitar of Mansour Seck is hauntingly beautiful. Adding on top of that the idiophone on for instance 'Muudo Hormo', and the result is an incredible atmosphere transporting the listener to somewhere else entirely. What impresses me is how the record manages to be so so groovy while still leaving plenty of space for contemplation. Definitely worthy of a lot more listens.

I’m in shock. Where did Baaba Maal emerge from? And how am I only hearing of him this moment? With Djam Leelii Maal and Mansour Seck have created one of the most hauntingly beautiful albums I’ve ever heard coming out of Africa. Maal’s vocal is both powerful and full of emotional range while Seck’s guitar playing will haunt my ears for days - not to mention the effect kora and balafon has on this record! Djam Leelii might easily end up in the top 5 of African records for me.. Until I’m sure I’m going to dive deeper into Baaba Maal’s discography and look forward to the March release of his upcoming album, Being.

relaxing, meditative, twangy guitar work and chanted vocals. A bit one note

Interesting but not really my thing

A decolonial masterpiece!

Piercing

instrumentally it was interesting but the vocals killed it for me. 2.

Not to my taste but I can understand why it is rated

i lik better than lam toro 3

Vraiment bon, j'aurais préféré uniquement instrumental, mais c'est très relaxant comme musique. À revisiter

Mostly enjoyable listening, some nice guitar playing. A little bland in places, but still good

Interesting

I didn't really care for the other Baaba Maal album; maybe Mansour Seck was key to this one. Tracks 10-12 didn't seem to fit or be as good but I may have only thought that b/c I knew they weren't on the original album.

I really try to give the international music a fair shot as it's always unfamiliar territory. Usually I can enjoy it, but Djam Leelii just didn't connect for me. The instrumentation in all of the songs seem to consist of one four or five note riff that repeats the entire way through, and the singing also feels like it's very repetitive as well. Once you've heard about 30 seconds of a song you've heard all it has to give.

Estuvo ok, pero no es mi estilo.

Listened Before: N Nope. I'm good. I'm giving this one extra star because of the great musicianship that is evident in my cursory listen. But it's 1/5 otherwise because why is it on this list? I did not need to hear this before I died. Added to Library? N Songs added to playlist: Daande Lenol (because it's short).

Pretty good

OK. Prob won't listen again

After shirking my 1001 duties for a week, this is a mighty fine album to return to. Baaba Maal  was another one of the artists who were key to getting me hooked on African music. I didn't have Djam Leelii  but bought his next album Baayo - (which is also excellent). Thankfully my copy is still in good shape since I can't find the full Baayo LP on Spotify or YouTube.  The guitars and his voice are quite amazing. Not much else to talk about but that is definitely enough.

He has an interesting voice, though not for everyone and I like the story of how he was encouraged by his blind friend and collaborator Mansour Seck to take up music. That said I would say he is less versatile than that other Senegalese singer.

He takes his time to develop the songs on this album, slowly building them up so a bit of patience is required. His high pitched voice can be grating after awhile though.

Neat, but not my thing.

The kind of music I could pretty easily spend all day with, but on the scale of things, I kind of wish it had more texture to it

Someone else made the comment but accurate for me as well... Would not have heard this other than being on this site, was an interesting background drivetime track, will likely not listen to again

A pretty interesting Senegalese album, which sounded like a nice mix between local folk music and some interesting electric guitar solos, taken straight out of 70s jam session. All the songs feel very spiritual and personal, even though they are singing in their local dialect of tribe transcendental over all the current borders. Although the idea of this album seems very interesting and inspiring, listening to this record is not the easiest task. It's more like a fascinating artifact you see in a museum from an ancient civilization. Nice to look at for a bit, gives you an idea of the culture of that period, and then you quickly move on. It's not an album you would listen more than once.

Ugh, no. Just absolute no from me. Starting to get a bit sick of the project - too much world music not enough popular music

It was nice for a few songs.

Not my kind of music

Some pretty cool world music that gets extremely grating and repetitive after a while. Really not my cup of tea but still glad it's on this list. Gotta love that out-of-tune wooden percussion...

Tää on aika raikas! Kiva kuunnella tällasta soundii mitä on lähinnä kuullut kokoelmalevyiltä. Tää taas on niin selkeesti oma albuminsa. Oon kuunnellut paljon afrofunkkii, josta tykkään hiivatisti. Tää taas on astetta folkimpaa ja ehk osittain sellast tribaalimpaa ilmasuu. Tykkään hirmu paljon mutta tiedän sen verran vähän tästä genrestä eetten uskalla arvostella kun vahvan kolmosen eli nelosen. 4/5

Olipas hyvä! Upea tunnelma.

No niin, nyt on semmosta mitä odotin tältä listalta miljoonan britti-indie-rocklevyn sijasta. Kunnollista. 4/5.

Beautiful sound but ultimately samey.

Ethereally beautiful

Hypnotic and beautiful 3.5/4

Interesting background noise, but not something I would have picked on my own.

Without trying to sound like a complete xenophobe, I don't need these foreign language albums on a 1001 albums to listen to list...

Lovely to chill to

A good album to zone out to.

Just to know

Love it

Vrij eentonige Afrikaans achtige muziek. Niet slecht, maar ook niet geweldig.

I really don't know how to listen to world music in a non-exoticising way: to hear this as just, normal. But it is good, sometimes mellow, sometimes soulful.

Not for everyone. It sounds good but it's not for me to listen to an entire album of indian music.

Could not make head or tail of this

This was extremely cool for about 10 minutes, then it started getting kind of old, then I looked and saw I was still in the middle of the second song with about an hour and 2 minutes left to go. Around the fourth song, everything started turning into a blur of African singing and drumming with nothing that could keep my ADHD-ridden brain focused.. and there were still about 50 minutes of music left. The whole stretch from "Salminam" to "Kettodee" is blank in my brain. It does pick itself back up after that though - "Ko Wone Mayo" was probably my favorite song on the album. I respect the fuck out of this album though, despite everything I said. This deserves to be on a list like this way more than "Robert Dimery threw a dart into a pile of britpop albums he found in a dumpster behind his local music store, so let's add the one it landed on into the book"

Djam Leelii...over an hour of world music I can't connect with and don't particularly like. Not a good example of impressive wider listening. Escapes a 1/5 because it's not outwardly bad, just boring as fuck.

More world music. This is not interesting at all, fine to have on in the background but doesn't really offer much and gets very repetitive very quickly. Bland and uninspiring, 2/5. Just.

Really good, and good for background. Will listen again

In ieder geval weer eens wat anders, maar daarmee heb ik al mijn positieve kruit wel verschoten.

Verschrikkelijk saai en eentonig

Paar nummer was genoeg.

Eentonig, zeg! Ik doe m'n best om te luisteren maar het gaat totaal aan me voorbij.

So there was good music during the 80’s!

This was a hard one to review. Every track had me tapping my toes... at first. The music here is good but it's all so mind-numbingly repetitive. I have a feeling that a lot of what makes this album so good is the vocals but, as I don't understand any of them, I'm left missing half of the equation. I have loved every album from Mali that's been on this list and, while this isn't Malian, it has shades of the things that I love from those albums. But only shades. The rhythms and energy are there but they're not fully explored. They're just laid out and then repeated a hundred times. I wanted to love this and I didn't. I fully accept that this is likely on me because I don't understand the language but, unfortunately, "Djam Leelii" just falls short of being truly enjoyable.

It's a true genre album. A genre I don't relate to.

This is a new one for me. Very powerful and interesting blend of Senegalese and western music. Almost hypnotic. I will come back to this one.

This was interesting Ok to have on in the background but I wouldn’t go out of my way to listen again.

Not at all for me. I obviously did not understand the lyrics but I don't think that really made a difference here.

I like how warm this album sounds The guitars weave together & complement each other nicely, The percussion is sparse but It’s always welcome when it kicks in July 22, 2022

1989 - World Music (hard to describe - Classic guitar; Xylophone; Steel Drum; Chant)

Baaba Maal whoah, Baaba Maal whoah, He comes from Senegal, He makes pleasant background music with Mansour Seck's chilled guitar licks for us all. Rating: 2.5/5 Playlist track: Lam Tooro Date listened: 14/07/22

so when the creator of this list did his first draft they got to a point where they were like yeah i'm done, however i just need a bit more world music. so they went to their local HMV, popped over to the world music section and just grabbed whatever was in the bargain bin. this is such generic 'world music'. its at home being discussed by middle class yoghurt weavers at their dinner parties.

Did you know? Djam Leelii was named after an ancient ham merchant. Ham became known as Djam after during the Great Ham Wars of 1033, during which many great ham warriors were killed and eaten by pigs.

Música africana. Me ha aburrido, bastante rollo. Un 2.

Bastante rollo. Pero me ha gustado una canción, Kettodee. Así que se libra del 1.

Not the usual enjoyment I get from this genre, but probably just because it is a touch less upbeat.

Beautiful desert blues - love the voice, the backing and the feel of this. Took me somewhere else for a while.

Didn't make it to the end. I quite liked the commanding nature of his voice, but it wasn't enough to carry it for me.

Disco con toques árabes, con instrumentos típicos. Muy para incondicionales del género. No me ha gustado mucho.

Different culture, how interesting

I feel like if I was immersed in the West African Culture in Africa this music live would sound better...but listening to it via Spotify in the office doesn't have the same vibe.

Enjoyed, just slightly too long and repetitive

Struggled with this because I liked it but also found it very boring and will never listen to it again

Odd but ok

I can understand the appeal though it's not in my language - and it's certainly better than alot of the nonsense in English I've listened to through this site. 6/10.

Interesting look at Senegal style music.

Étnica africana. Un poco aburrido.

Music was pretty groovy, but I'm such a sucker for lyrics but I've got no idea what the dude's singing about.

minne litt om musikken på lucys, så da hjelpe

Endelig nåke gøy. Friste litt å gi da 5 for å ha redda oss ut av herket som har vært i da siste, men va visst litt for langt og nasalt for meg

As always with non-English language selections I feel like I can’t fully appreciate this. The instrumentation is fantastic, and although the signing style is way outside my cultural zone, it was interesting, and complemented the music.

What? Why?

I discovered Baaba in college, so I knew what I was getting into. Love the instrumentation and the hauntingly beautiful singing. I could listen to this all day forever.

3.75

Nice folk. A bit twee and nothing really jumped out at me.

Rating: 6/10

Senegalese goodness

Best Song: Salminanam. I liked the vocal hook, whatever it was. Worst Song: Bibbe Leyde. Felt a little too much like religious prayer for my taste. Overall: A difficult album for me to rate. On the one hand, it is far more sparse and folksy than the music I typically like, and I find the lead singer's nasally delivery grating at times. On the other hand, some of the instrumentation is quite nice, and the fact that it is not in English means that it is something I can listen to in the background without getting distracted. Overall, happy to have heard it, not sure how often I'll come back to it.

Muzikaal zit het nog wel aardig in elkaar, al mag het van mij wel iets energieker. Ik vind de zang echter niet aantrekkelijk. Het geluid niet en ook de taal niet. **

Music for wandering

Really hard to describe this album. It is beautiful stuff. It is easy to call it World Music but that does it a disservice as that can just be used for anything not euro/American. I really enjoyed it and want to hear more

i'll admit, a bit repetitive so i only got half way through

It was a cool listen with modern and folksy elements.

Some really beautiful songs here. The album was a bit too long, but a really enjoyable listen. Fave Songs: Loodo, Ko Wone Mayo, Salminanam, Muudo Hormo, Lam Tooro, Kettodee

A very relaxing listen, however nothing really stood out to me in particular. I did like the warm vocals and the guitar work was great. It also felt a little long, probably because I listened to the version available on Apple Music which is an hour and 13 minutes with four extra songs.

Honestly at first this album seemed fine but it slowly got more and more annoying. Obviously I can't understand any of it, but it just seemed like the same guitar combo thing + nasally singing for well over an hour. It literally was annoying to listen to eventually. It felt like I was in a loop listening to the same not very interesting song

21st April 2022 Listened mainly on the drive out of LA to the desert which was a good setting for this. I appreciate it’s something I wouldn’t normally listen to and does have a great vibe to it but it’s a bit samey for me.

detta svängde!

Intéressant. Je n'aurais probablement jamais écouté cet album sans cet exercice. Pas mon genre habituel, un peu long, mais intéressant d'entendre des nouvelles sonorités.

I have heard Baaba Maal sing with Peter Gabriel, Afro Celt Sound System and on the 1 Giant Leap album. In general I like what Maal does, but listening to a whole album is just okay. "Loodo" was my favorite track, and a track that I could come back to an enjoy. "Lam Tooro" was my second most favorite. Some of the longer tracks towards the end of the album felt like more of a distraction than music that I would listen to.

There's some really beautiful music on this album. The guitar playing is absolutely amazing and the percussion compelling and infectious. The vocals took some getting used to but never intruded on my enjoyment of the music. A really beautiful listening experience. 4 🌟

I didn't understand it at all, but it's very nice to receive this kind of album here on this list. Just listen to it and it's absolutely impossible does not to note the importance and influence of these songs in almost everything I listen to every day. The language, the drums, and everything else is recognizable in some way Unexpected surprise, not understandable, but very cool!

Interesting stripped back bluesy afro rootsy style. Not unpleasant, but not strong enough to want to listen to again.

Not overly adventurous but engaging if maybe a tad too long. It is easy to get hooked on the rhythms.

This is what this book is made for. I've never heard of this and would have never sought it out. I have absolutely no idea what any of the songs are about, but the vocals sound great. I really dig it, although it is a little long and feels repetitive which lowers the rating for me. 3.5/5

A Travel to Senegal sounds.I’ve really liked these album. Sometimes we have to experience knew cultures.

New artist. After one song...bye

Uauuuu!

Fav tracks: - Djam Leelii - Sehilam - Kettodee -Least fav: - Lam Tooro

Very lovely. Glad to be introduced to a genre and musical style that I would have been unlikely to find otherwise. Album felt a little long at times and I probably need to be in the right mood for it.

Is this what used to be in the reductive "world music" sections in gift shops and book stores? A really enjoyable listen. Baaba has an enchanting voice.

Senegalese tunes and familiar western rhythms are combined beautifully. The album starts with high-energy tracks, and the melodies become more thoughtful later.

2/5 not at all

Very unexpected and melodious album

I've never heard something like that before, it was a cool experience. Nevertheless felt kinda boring, songs were too long and repeatable, both singing and melodies. And still not my type of music.

Neodlučna sam oko ovog. Prije godinu dana bi sigurno imala ne tako dobar dojam o ovom albumu, ali u međuvremenu san gledala neki film di je ovakva glazba savršeno zaokružila cilu scenu pa san tu pismu slušala neko vrime i valjda mi se sad zbog tih pozitivnih sjećanja svidio i ovaj album. Do neke mjere. Malo predug album pa nakon nekog vrimena postane repetitivno. Čak bi mi se više svidilo da je sami instrumental ili možda malo manje pivanja. 2.5/5

interesting and unusual experience, that's sure, I like some melodies and vocals, but I don't think that I liked it enough to listen to it again in the short term, something between 2 and 2,5

Laid back African vibes

Good instrumentals, but overall not really into it.

Very interesting. The guitar was excellent

Not for me

What a mesmerising experience it is to hear this album again. Extraordinary!

Ciekawe, to na pewno

Nisan na ovo navikla

Nije nešto šta inače slušam (shocker) ni šta ću vjerojatno opet ić slušat ali prezanimljiv zvuk, jako muzikalno i smirujuće (možda bi i trebala ponovit s vremena na vrijeme?)

It seems ok

Started great, pleased I got something I would never have come across. However, the album did get very repetitive as it went on. If it was around 40 minutes and had the best half of the songs or even more with some edits, it would be a strong 4, maybe a 5. The guitar playing was probably the best thing on here, shows a hint of the music of Senegal and surrounding reigons. I also like the vocals and percussion in this too, gives it a unique feel compared to Anglo-American music which dominates my Spotify.

Not for me. Very long. I can appreciate the fact that it's a completely different style than I've really heard before, but I just couldn't get into it.

Imaginez un album d'environ une heure constitué de pistes elles-mêmes constituées d'interminables boucles mélodiques. Imaginez maintenant qu'un homme y superpose des sénégalaiseries chantées pour nous faire oublier la redondance de l'instrumental. Vous obtiendrez alors l'album Djam Leelii de Baaba Maal et lui accorderez une note de trois sur cinq.

Robert prouve une fois de plus son racisme debordant, et je vais en quelques mots vous expliquer pourquoi: Robert prend un malin plaisir à selectionner des albums de musique africaine de piètre qualité, et de les ranger immediatement dans la catégorie "world", sous pretexte que ces artistes ne viennent pas de son monde à lui. On se retrouve donc avec une multitude de style différents, tous regroupés sous l'égide "world", qui dans le vocabulaire de Robert, pourrait s'apparenter à "les autres", voir de bien pires appelations que je ne me permettrais pas de rédiger ici. Robert, l'Afrique est grande, et les sénégalaiseries des deux comparses Baaba Maal et Mansour Seck méritent certes un 2, mais certainement pas sous le label world.

Could not get into it. At all. Didn't add.

dig the guitar but not my cup of tea.

Interesting, not for me

AGAIN! I DONT DO JAZZ Its fucking musical masterbation, no one wants to watch someone else doing it.

Very chill vibe but it did get repetitive. Nice guitar sound. 2.5/5 stars

Love it!

Have to say I found this a bit of a slog. I started listening this to this like 3-4 times, and didn't find it particularly good music to just listen to. I've had it on in the background to work to and it was fine and quite pleasant! Certain bits I appreciated and enjoyed, but some of them the repetition did just get to me. Glad I've heard it but wouldn't seek it out again

Not bad but a bit long, good background music.

not very good

J’aime le genre mais l’album est 1h15. J’aurais prefere pkus court etantndonne la repition du son. Quand me un bel album 3.25

I did not need to listen to this. The music itself is unremarkable. I didn't skip any songs, but I tolerated it.

A nice alternative

Nope

Good world music album. I like the instrumentals, it's a bit slower than I prefer with some of that type of music I listen to. Still good!

Kind of cool. Never would have found this on my own. Songs are all a bit long and of course I have no idea what the lyrics are, but the instrumentals are interesting and it really handles the role of background music very well.

Musically melodic and interesting, however the droning, nasal, whiney, indiscernible lyrics made this nearly unlistenable.

Not sure, at track one, if this is a me album. Intensely folky and repetitive, but I'm keeping an open mind. It's nice in places, but I'm just not deeply into Senegalese folk jams. Clearly it has value, but it sounds a lot like any other culture jamming - pleasurable for the musician more than the listener. Then it might just be me not understanding the culture well enough. Don't mind some Tinariwen or Manu Chao, but this just isn't grabbing me.

I mean I don't hate it, I just really can't listen to the whole thing.

Drums are cool, but this is an album that I don't super know how to break down. So, I'm not upset that I listened to it. It's just weird and out there. Found it weirdly relaxing and added it to my relaxing playlist with vocals.

I never would have given this a chance if it weren't for this project, so score a point for the list. Some really nice guitar work that really grew on me as I listened. Best track: Kettodee

Pas écouté...

Not a go to album but a fun listen

this is not bad

not for me

Jeden z tych pickow ktorych sie czlowiek nie spodziewa, bo jest to folkowy album prosto z senegalu, Baaba Maal, to glowa tego projektu, ale wspierany jest przez Mansoura Secka, zarowno na wokalu jak i gitarce, wiec jest to praktycznie plyta duetu Maal-Seck, dodatkowymi instrumentami ktore mozna uslyszec podczas odsluchu to tradycyjne afrykanskie sprzety, tym razem z afryki zachodniej, bo pojawia sie balafon, ktory jest afrykanskim odpowiednikiem ksylofonu, kora ktora mozna okresic jako 21 strunowa harfe, do tego perkusyjne bebnienia i elemety elektrycznych rifow, spotifajowa wersja tej plyty to 12 kawalkow i godzina 12 minut czasu grania, bo jest to wydanie z 98, natomiast orginalne wydanie pochodzi z 89, choc material nagrywany na nia pochodzi juz nawet z 84, nawet pomimo tego, ze kontentu lirycznego nie rozumiem ani troche, to jednak slucha sie tego przyjemnie, bo jest to cos nowego, takiego polaczenia dzwiekow nie slyszalem wczesniej, bo jednak afryka jest dluga i szeroka, a wiekszosc afrykanskich materialow jakie osluchalem, to poludnie i ewentualna polnoc, a zachod ma swoj orginalny urok, ciezko tu wrzucic cos na plejke, bo jednak brzmi to tak odmiennie ze ciezko zgrupowac to na dana plejke, wiec cala plyta leci na poleczke orginalnych pickow plejkowych, nieposzerzajacych horyzonty muzyczne

A very interesting sound. I wish I understood the lyrics. I liked most of what I heard as far as instrumentation.

I'm sure this is an important album, but it's simply not for me

Fun and full of energy. Obviously had no idea what was actually being said.

Didn't finish this, wasn't my vibe at all.

Good work music but nothing outstanding

If you take any couple of seconds from the album it will sound pretty good and the musicians seem skilled. The problem is the hugely repetitive tracks which sound absolutely the same from beginning to end for 6 minutes a piece. Exactly the same couple of chords going on and on... It's not like the individual songs are very different from each other either.

Una nova descoberta de la llista. Evidentment, el que més destaca és l'increïble treball de guitarres, que juntament amb una percusió minimalista i unes veus encisadores creen un disc hipnòtic, magnètic. Una mena de 'Marquee Moon' meets 'Graceland' filtrat per l'herència senegalesa. Molt bó, realment

Wasn’t my favorite

Really loved the ethereal feel of this. I didn't pay as much attention to each track as I'd have liked, but having it on in the background is wonderful.

Gorgeous instrumentation and vocals. I have heard Baaba Maal mentioned by other musicians so it was great to actually be able to listen to him.

good zulul

DNF, it starts off alright with the instrumentals, then the vocal come in and they're grating and repetitive, then you notice the music won't change for the entirety of the song and you wonder what's the point

Proper escapism music, feels like you’re in a different world listening to it. Would I put it on at a party though, unlikely. I can appreciate the instruments, sounds and vocals but it’s probably a 1 listen album.

Gillar. Några bra låtar, men mest ganska förglömliga ändå. Bästa låt: Djam Leelii, för fet basslinga och elgitarr

Nice vibe, liked a couple of stand-out tracks

I enjoyed having it on in the background, but feel unqualified to judge it further.

I loved the style and the instrumentation. Will listen again.

Takes me straight to Womad

Great listen, atmospheric achostic vibes with african influence, no lyrics some chanting. good to listen and loose yourself in

Not really my thing

Track one - did not enjoy. Few tracks after that quite enjoyed, but not my usual music.

Like the guitars, vocals not grabbing me

some tracks were soothing, others tickled me a bit

Chill, xylophone

Great instrumentals, nice to work to.

Interesting

Now That's What I Call Africa 72!

Pleasant enough. Not something I'd go back to but it had enough variety to stay interesting.

Beautiful. Surprised I'd never heard this before, will be a favourite and need to investigate more of Maal's work

the patterns and melodies were too foreign to my ear

I was expecting more polyrhythms, but overall it’s quite nice.

Музыкальный критик из самых лучших побуждений добавил альбом этнического музыканта в топ. Это замечательное просветительское решение не включает мое обязательное одобрение.

As far as world music goes, this is a solid entry. Very easy to find the groove, but there isn't any major stand out single, rather a solid listening experience.

Looks like something I might be interested in... Baaba Maal seems to be a big figure in the music of Senegal, and this is his debut with friend Mansour Seck. It has great vocals from both, in traditional African stylings. On the best tracks (like Muudo Hormo) we also get cool, traditional, organic percussion that fits perfectly. Personally, I'm not a huge guitar fan, so the turn-off for me is the predominance of acoustic (and one time electric) guitar across this album. Having said that, these guys tend towards beautiful, simple melodies that repeat and gradually develop. The best tracks are hypnotically repetitious, which is just the shit I love in any genre of music. It seems like this has just been chosen for the list as "world music for guitar fans" - but I can put up with that, because it's a mesmerising album. 4/5.

Didn't mind it but too outside my comfort zone for a high score. Would never listen again.

In this book to hit a diversity quota. Absolute drivel.

Meh

Baad

OK? it was not what i was feeling

4

Why is it that compilers of lists like this, when it comes time to pick an obligatory African album or two, always go for the ones that sound the most like Western music? Wait, I answered my own question. On Djam Leelii, there is little of the rhythmic complexity that characterizes African music or the typical interweaving of instruments. If it weren't for Baaba Maal's vocals, with its tell-tale scales typical of Senegalese music, you'd barely know this was African. Mansour Seck, the traditional griot who was Maal's teacher, accompanies him on guitar. Sadly, Seck isn't an especially inventive or skillful guitarist. You could throw a rock in Senegal and hit 3 or four guitarists better than Seck. There just isn't a lot to this music. Without even trying, I could find 10 or 15 albums of traditional Senegalese music better than this. It's not horrible or anything, just bland and uninspiring.

Not my jam

I can't for the life of me understand why this album is on 1001. For lack of a better explanation, I'll once again blame the British for this album appearing on 1001 as some attempt to appease their colonial guilt. I'm guessing Baaba is from a West African country. I'm from a North American country. I respect whatever musical traditions they're bringing to the table, and I have a personal responsibility to bring an open mind and hear this music with as few hangups and expectations built up from 36 years of "western" pop traditions, but I sure as hell don't have to like this. Songs are repetitious, droning, no change in dynamics, no development arc. I found small pockets of beauty, but I can find small pockets of beauty in a sewage processing plant. What is the point of this album? Is it just to feel one thing (detached mild ennui) and feel that same thing over and over again until the album ends? Did Baaba Maal want their listeners to accidentally fall asleep at the wheel and plow into a dairy farm? Perhaps perhaps perhaps if I understood the language there could be a deeper emotional impact, but that would have to be some exquisite poetry to overcome the doldrums of the music. D-

Beautiful music but boring. I yawned my way through this one. I am not a fan of the electric acoustic and this album is composed solely of that. The album is a bit one note and faded to the background. I generally enjoy Touareg Rock, but this was a little too low octane. Prefer Ali Farqa Toure or Bombino, though those can be boring. This has 90s Starbucks white person written all over it. It is soothing abd nice to listen to, would be good over a cup of Java and talking about your world travels. I respect it. But don’t like it. 2

Tuareg rock usually gets me hard, but this only gave me a semi.

Great tunes, even if I don't understand the words.

good background music, nothing exciting

Dreamy

Well... I'm sure this is great if you're into it but really not for me. The repetition in the songs made me feel ill!

good easy listening, like Savane

Musik um ihretwillen; sie erzählt und wird getragen von der Erzählung der Instrumente im Reich des Halls. Der Gesang überkommt die call response Struktur der weithin so gebauten Stammesgesänge. Erinnert eher an Blues und ist in seiner analog trancigen Art einer der Ursprünge für Schaffens des Animal Collective. Mesmerized 4.5

Nicht so richtig meins.

I have a hard time appreciating music I can’t understand. Sounded interesting though.

Música africana no me llegó ninguna canción en especial

Did not listen, absolutely zero interest in this type of music.

DNF,

There's probably a lot of meaning behind this, but I don't understand the lyrics. Comparing this to mariachi, even though I don't understand that, enjoy it more. Either way, I will not likely listen to this again.

Byłaby lepsza bez wokalu

It probably was of some cultural significance but did not enjoyed this one

not my thing...didn’t sound horrible but i didn’t like the album

Really enjoyed this. So unique. The instrumentals were a highlight throughout the album

Dos guitarras y una voz tocando... ¿"blues" africano? Música agradable, relajante, con un tono alegre. La manera y entonación al cantar me recordó mucho a los cantos de qawwali; a mucha gente le puede desesperar esa manera de cantar pero es algo que a mí siempre me ha gustado. Lástima que siento que el disco ahí se queda... muy agradable... pero no pasa a más. Se siente un poco plano para durar tanto y todas las canciones se pierden y terminan sonando similar, ninguna podría mencionar como mi "favorita" y en ninguna hay ningún elemento que cambie, que sorprenda o que evolucione. Ritmos africanos, instrumentación mínima pero efectiva, cantos buenos. Como mencioné, un disco muy agradable pero tampoco entiendo su inclusión en la lista, creo hay cosas similares igual de bien hechas y algunas que si sobresalen más musicalmente (por más que busqué tampoco encontré nada relevante como para entender alguna importancia en su lanzamiento por la época o el artista).

ihan ok musiikkia, mutta laulusta en tykkää. 2.5 tähteä..

Man it was long. And the last 3 songs became irritating. At first it was colorful though the vocalizations are definitely not my thing... a little friendly sound at times. But it was pretty boring and a chore to get through.

Nunca había escuchado realmente música africana, mucho menos un disco. La experiencia fue buena los primeros 15 minutos. Después de eso no recuerdo nada nuevo, fresco o diferente que me hiciera querer seguir escuchando. Supongo que la barrera del idioma juega mucho en este caso, pero en general suena como una gran canción de 60 minutos con algunas secciones de cuerdas agradables y no más.

This is why I love this project. I never would have found this. And I may never listen to again. But dang did I like it on this car trip.

Not my fav

Me costó un chingo de trabajo escuchar este disco. Supongo que se debe a que no estoy iniciado en el género del hindi, pero la voz del vocalista es muy difícil de tolerar. Lo único que rescató a este disco de una estrella fue la música, que me parece muy interesante y compleja, y además la canción “Salminanam” que es creo la única donde la voz realmente acompaña la música. Además, esta canción tiene un beat como de Semba, o sea, se puede bailar. A este disco le habría ido mucho mejor si hubiera sido instrumental.

Difícil, igual luego termino de escucharlo por que parece que solo es una canción. Estamos muy acostumbrados a lenguas romance y géneros menos tradicionales y por algo debe de estar en la lista aunque a veces no la entiendo.

Yo ya conocía a Baaba Maal, gracias a Mumford & Sons. Me da gusto que aparezca en la lista cosas no angloparlantes y este ejemplo es muy bueno, porque aunque conserva todo sus raíces tradicionales, tiene sus momentos modernos que lo hacen un poco digerible para nosotros. No es lo que escucharía de diario, pero si un día quiero un mood exótico, es algo que pondría con gusto. Lam Tooro se parece a Nothing Else Matters.

This is lovely! Relaxing, hopeful, energetic, and worldly. It makes me feel far away (in a nice way).

4

This album was a VIBE it felt ALIVE Ko Wone Mayo was especially memorable. Fuck it, five stars, this was unlike anything else, a really nice album.

Ok. Not exciting

A little different, tribal sounding for the most part, that's the point of these right, to listen to a lot of different sounds!

I appreciate it, but nah.

Pretty cool, good vibe

Solid as hell. Good vibes, reminds me of that one Ethiopian song I love from Feets' Ice Caps playlist

Vittu mitä paskaa! Soitanta kuulosti ihan hyvälle, mutta aina kun "laulu" alkoi niin teki mieli viiltää ranteita auki lusikalla. Ei todellakaan jatkoon ja ei enää tällaista paskaa, kiitos.

i dont feel its special nor do i like it that much but its not horrible

Very interesting, relaxing

pretty interesting

Sonically interesting, perfect blend of electronic sounds and traditional African sounds and beats.

Ret skørt, uforståeligt vestafrikansk musik, egentlig okay afslappende

I enjoyed it, especially while making breakfast, but the language barrier creates a sameness throughout

2min riitti. Yli ihmisen käsityskyvyn menevää, että tää löytyy listalta. Vai onks tää se levy mikä kuunnellaan vikana ku tappaa ärsyttävyydellään ja surkeudellaan ja sen takia listalla?

Love listening to different Music from different cultures

dull...

Good range of tunes here. Very reminiscent of the Sahel stuff I've been listening to over the past months, but on acoustic instruments and (obviously) recorded cleaner. The last three tracks were unnecessary for me. The title track was the standout.

3.5/5. Nice listen, would make great background music in a hookah lounge. Standout Tracks: Maacina Tooro, Djam Leelii, Sehilam

Surprisingly refreshing and endering

Not for me.

oooh traditional, i like it

Ok so random thoughts on this: 1. Finally something I'd never have heard of otherwise, and not just the Beatles or Bowie for the umpteenth time. 2. Cool guitars and tribal drums. I dunno if traditional music, but something close to it? 3. Singing is alright but wears out its welcome. Gets too Arabic-sounding after a while, like those annoying prayer calls that just blast at 100 decibels in the streets in MENA countries. 4. This album shouldn't go for over an hour. A bit too repetitive. But it would've been fine at 30min for sure. 3/5.

Relaxing, overall enjoyable; just not necessarily my jam

I like this kinda stuff… very relaxing!