Welcome To Mali
Amadou & Mariam reached international acclaim after 2005's Dimanche à Bamako; they follow that with a more global record featuring guests from France, the Ivory Coast, and Canada, as well as Englishman Damon Albarn.
Amadou Bagayoko and Mariam Doumbia, a married couple from Mali who first met at an institute for the blind, have been making music together in one form or another since 1976. Through recordings and joyously energetic live shows, the pair attracted a following that grew exponentially with the release of Dimanche À…
Back in 2005, this blind Malian couple stormed the planet with a kaleidoscopic disc...
Welcome to Mali, issued here on Nonesuch, is their debut in the United Stares (we're always last, even the Canadians were in on the debut, and their hotshot rapper K'Naan appears on one cut).
<p>Yes, the pair's backstory is engaging, says <strong>Ben Thompson</strong>, but their music is more alluring still</p>
<p>Another infectiously rousing set, even if it doesn't have quite as many memorable songs as Dimanche</p>