hypersongs

Welcome to Mali

Recorded in London, Paris, Bamako and Dakar, with K'Naan, Keziah Jones and -M- as guests.
Amadou & Mariam, 2008

Amadou told the AV Club it was recorded in London at Albarn's studio, in Paris where most of the musicians live, in Bamako for djembe, balafon and kora, and in Dakar, where a blind drummer plays on it; Toumani Diabate played kora. The US release on Nonesuch followed on March 24, 2009, and it earned an IMPALA gold certification in 2012. Metacritic scored it 86; Pitchfork gave 8.4, with Joe Tangari writing it is the sound of Mali merging with the world at large, the AV Club an A-minus, Christgau an A, Uncut 5 stars and Paste called it frustratingly uneven. PopMatters's Deanne Sole wrote that the album has the feel of a toe being dipped in the water.

Track listing

  1. Sabali3:15
  2. Ce N'est Pas Bon3:49
  3. Magosa3:43
  4. Djama3:15
  5. Djuru3:35
  6. Je Te Kiffe4:18
  7. Masiteladi3:56
  8. Africa3:48
  9. Compagnon de la Vie3:46
  10. Unissons-nous4:16
  11. Bozos3:46
  12. I Follow You (Nia Na Fin)4:02
  13. Welcome to Mali3:20
  14. Batoma4:13
  15. Sebeke4:31

More from Amadou & Mariam

Tje Ni Mousso (1999), Wati (2002), Dimanche À Bamako (2004), Folila (2012), La Confusion (2017), L'Amour À La Folie (2025)

Sources

  1. Welcome to Mali, Wikipedia
  2. Amadou & Mariam interview, The A.V. Club (2009-06-25)
  3. Amadou & Mariam, Welcome to Mali, PopMatters