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Community Media Center
2009-05-11
Amadou & Mariam's Welcome to Mali is a really cool mixture of traditional African music and contemporary music trends. The album was produced by Damon Albarn, of The Gorillaz and Blur, and he also plays many of the instruments. As one would expect, that adds a lot of depth to the record, turning otherwise basic worldbeat songs into a hybrid of modern western pop mixed with African music. When many of the songs start it sounds like anything on top 40 radio, until Mariam Doumbia's distinct voice breaks in her native language. There's nothing ordinary about these tunes, like opener "Sabali" and "Djuru, which mixes hand drumming with drum machine tracks for a nice effect.
NII OTOO ANNAN AND STEVEN FELD
Bufo Variations
Rupa & The April Fishes
Extraordinary Rendition
Pierre Bensusan / Andrew York / Guinga / Brian Gore
An Evening with International Guitar Night
Bebel Gilberto
Bebel Gilberto
KATCHAFIRE
Say What You're Thinking
Ben Chatwin
Heat & Entropy
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