The Traveller
Maal's 11th studio album, made with members of The Very Best and Mumford & Sons.
Baaba Maal, 2016
- Released
- January 2016
- Label
- Palm / Marathon Artists
- Producer
- Johan Hugo
The Traveller was recorded with Johan Hugo of The Very Best and Winston Marshall of Mumford & Sons, Hugo having met Maal through Africa Express. The lead singles were Fulani Rock and Gilli Men. In the Observer, Kitty Empire found compelling fusions, such as the title track, but felt Lampenda veered toward accessible arena rock and that the closing War and Peace, with the poet Lemn Sissay, jarred slightly. The Guardian's Robin Denselow wrote that it was far superior to Television and that Maal's voice soars over the electronica.
A UK tour accompanied the album, with a launch show at the Royal Festival Hall in London on 21 January 2016. That year Maal and Mumford & Sons also released There Will Be Time, a single from the Johannesburg EP, which peaked at number 100 on the UK Singles Chart.
Personnel
- Baaba Maal vocals
- Johan Hugo producer
- Winston Marshall musician
- Lemn Sissay poet on War and Peace
More from Baaba Maal
Djam Leelii (1989), Lam Toro (1992), Firin' in Fouta (1994), Nomad Soul (1998), Missing You (Mi Yeewnii) (2001)
Sources
- Baaba Maal: The Traveller review, where tradition meets Auto-Tune, The Observer (2016-01-17)
- Baaba Maal review: brilliant, annoying but always unexpected, The Guardian (2016-01-21)
- There Will Be Time (song), Wikipedia
- Baaba Maal, Wikipedia