Album review: Songhoy Blues, Music In Exile

Songhoy Blues. Photo / Getty Images

It's hard to fully explain this album without setting it in context.

The Songhoy people are one of Mali's many ethnic groups, but now live mostly on the margins, the country dominated by the Bambara people.

Songhoy music remains strong though, and Oumar, Aliou, and Garba Toure all grew up in the city of Gao as familiar with their homegrown songs as they were obsessed with RnB, Tupac, The Beatles, and Jimi Hendrix. During growing unrest and hostility in 2012, they were forced to move to the capital, Bamako, and in response to their displacement started making music.

Watch the music video for Al Hassidi Terei by Songhoy Blues:

Performing in clubs and bars, they've honed their lively blend of traditional and modern sounds, into an irrepressibly dancable act, and their debut album captures it beautifully. We may not be able to understand a single word, but the sweat, and joy, and determination come through regardless. The spirit of repetition, and endless forward momentum in a way that feels familiar and heartfelt.

The way their group vocals on haunting tracks like Nick find an easy place beside the almost Black Keys-esque instrumental parts of Soubour, and the guitar wizardry on Irganda make genre labels seem redundant.

Album: Music In Exile
Label: Transgressive Records

Verdict: Heartfelt genre-crossing blend

- TimeOut