Dimanche à Bamako

👏 I am here for the music not from the US or UK 👏

I think I like this better than Manu Chao's solo album on the list.

very cool, very chill. Good to get out of the UK/US dominance

Hell yeah let’s go to the beach and listen to Amado and Mariam

I'm glad there's still world music like this in the user section because this shit slapped the same way that songhoy blues slapped. Honestly don't have much else to say about it. I could definitely tell Manu Chao helped out and really liked the first track.

The original list included a certain amount of African music. If this album had been included in the main list, it would have been one of my favorites in the genre. Being said so, I'm not sure if it's a good thing or not, as I noticed that many times this kind of inclusion shows a "betrayal" by the artist of their roots in order to appeal more to Western musical sensibilities (like mine). Thanks anyway for providing such an interesting gateway to Mande music

9/10. Love this, makes me wish I'd actually learned some French from my high school class, but oh well.

Much variety of rhytms. Fun to listen to. Great album

It just works. The vibe and energy are easily approachable and just make you feel cool. I feel like if you were watching this live, you couldn't help yourself from dancing, head bobbing, and moving to the groove. Greatly enjoyed. I even think the french language works with the style despite not being able to understand anything.

Adding another album from those underrepresented continents to the 1001 list will always set me off with a sympathetic ear, and fortunately this album delivers! I loved the music… the African beats with a twist that I can only assume is at least partially thanks to Manu Chao, this is a groovy good time! Terrific!

Really liked this. Eclectic but centered, I wish I could understand the language but beautifully sung regardless.

Many summer vibes. And the influence of Manu Chao is clearly present. I enjoyed listening to this one

Rating: 8/10 Best songs: M’bife, Coulibaly, La réalité, Senegal fast food, Politic amagni

This album should be better known. The mix of African music, blues, and folk music makes for a refreshing change. My French is too basic to make out more than a few words at a time, but I found the singing enjoyable. The first half was stronger, and the album began to drag on by the end, but I’m glad I was exposed to this music.

I don't know how to accurately judge this, other than it forced me to wear Sepia tone glasses.

This is one of my favourite World music albums, A&M are great and with Manu Chao producing it, this is just lightining in a bottle. I've been listening to this regularly since 2005 and I never seem to tire of it. Most of the album is killer with no filler.

Wow! Great surprise! I didn’t even know this band existed. Not just when he sings, but you can feel Manu Chao’s influence

Yup!

Manu Chao's wonderful hand is evident in this splendid album. It's catchy and delightful. I love it!

Such a fantastic album. West African music deserved a few more places on the original list

Un album rempli de belles chansons, de voix magnifiques et de choix d'instruments parfaits. Je l'aime ! Un joli rappel que je devrais essayer de visiter l'Afrique de l'Ouest francophone.

Yep I can get behind this.

Despite the electrification, Dimanche à Bamako has a folk feel about it, Sunday morning indeed, rather grassy. Manu Chao provides the membrane covering all, but there's really no concept connecting the internals. The cast is hardly minimal, but maintains a small-kitchen aura, voices entering without apology and never letting go.

Very nice! 4 stars.

Good ones in this one

Nicenicenicenice 4

You can definitely hear that Manu Chao. Overall a pleasant album.

Great choice. Reminded me to practice my French too

African Blues, Afrobeat. Me ha gustado bastante. Un 4.

Fourth studio album? It's got a pretty good beat. Obviously, I don't really understand the lyrics, but the tone is upbeat, varied, and pretty easy to listen to.

This was a fun romp!

Great album with music from Mali with assistance from Manu Chao (who knew what he was doing)

This one really surprised me. Did not expect to enjoy this as much as I did

Appreciative of people putting more actual world music on the users list, especially for something like this where it’s truly a broad international collaboration

I love it when the Mali hits at the right time.

Love me the inclusion of foreign music. This is what makes the user list more interesting. I would never seek out this kinda music and it was great fun. Still a little long but otherwise great stuff. My personal rating: 4/5 My rating relative to the list: 4/5 Should this have been included on the original list? Yes.

May 23, 2025 Oh yeah, after the main list with two Ali Farka Tourés and one Songhoy Blues, I'm what you call an expert on the country of Mali now... *also Googles what Bamako means* I think the make-or-break element is Manu Chao's involvement, as his cosmopolitan approach to mixing genres means Dimanche à Bamako is a little scattershot. But he & Amadou (R.I.P.) & Mariam make a hell of a team. That genre unpredictability works in their favour; and though it's polished, it's still a very warm, rootsy and joyous-sounding record.

Richly tuneful, intriguingly melodic, dimensionally complex, with just enough drive and melancholic minor keys to make for a most satisfying listen. Can world music be said to be worldly? Or is that the desired effect for the target audience? Which might help explain the slight guilt/embarrassment one always feels listening to (what was one called world music or anything released by Putumayo). Would hold its own on the list proper but doesn't feel like an imperative add.

This could’ve been on the original list. Saw them live, very powerful experience. RIP Amadou.

Ehh, not my favorite. 5/10

Fun jams. Not my thing overall but I can see the appeal for sure.

Lovely upbeat and enjoyable record!

It's okay? A couple bangers for sure, but a lot of stuff that just didn't tickle my fancy. Certainly not a favorite afrobeat record.

Better than I expected

This is the soundtrack to backpackers telling each other their intrepid travel plans while slacklining at the beach. Catchy enough though. 3/5.

It was decent and a good change of pace. I will round up.

An exciting African LP that combines the best of old and new – I was excited from the get-go to hear some traditional African scales filtered through a lo-fi Chorus pedal. This is a fun listen, I just wish it could cut loose a bit more – the guitar here is great, and some tracks sit in neutral for a bit.

African folk pop - fine, but makes no great impression on me apart from Senegal Fast Food (featuring Manu Chao) which was an excellent rhythm for my running pace!

So lovely. Rich, diverse sound that's pleasing on the ears. Thanks for sharing. Fave Songs: Camions Sauvages, Artistiya, M'Bifé Balafon, Djanfa, La Fête au Village, M'Bifé, M'Bifé Blues

It’s flavourful and unique, and quite fun. Not my not so cup of tea, but love to see a submission that helps provide better representation for international acts that Dimry overlooked in favour of another UK synth pop band.

Frekar rólegt en létt.

Nice. Not a life changer for me, but a very pleasant listen.

Another cool album from Mali. This one features Manu Chao. It's nice and chilled. Rating: 2.5 Playlist track: Senegal Fast Food Date listened: 16/12/24

Not bad

Good vibes only

dug this one

Nice! Lots of cool grooves

Have to say it was better than I thought it would be. Good choice.

This was good.

Looking back I don't think there's a single African or South American album I didn't like. Not that I listen to them regularly but better than 60% of the crap from US/UK. This one seems to have modern influences but still a good listen.

Best gezellig, maar na een paar tracks word ik depressief van de vrolijkheid.

It was an interesting mix and not unpleasant.

Meh

Respect for adding some actual more worldy music. It was listenable.

Honestly, kind of a basic boring album. Maybe it was innovative for its time.

Dimanche à Bamako starts well, the opening track is really nice, and really the first four or five are more accessible than a lot of foreign-language/African music we've had on this journey. I dunno if that's a good or a bad thing though, because it then goes back into stuff I don't much care for for the rest of the album, and there's an argument that the back half is more 'typical' of the genre and that the opening to the record is 'westernised' for appeal. Taken purely on the merits of whether I liked it or not, it gets a high 2.5, just above average, because there was some good, lots of meh, nothing I truly disliked. M'Bife is really nice though, again.

i probably would’ve enjoyed this one quite a bit if I understood what was being said. The beats were really exciting and fun to chill to but overall it’s hard for me to enjoy the album without knowing what’s going on. 3.5/10