Customer Reviews
Talking Timbuktu - By: Mr. M. Yeats, 19 Mar 2005 
A beautiful mixture of music from Mali, the most recognisable African music,and the superb guitar of Ry Cooder.
If you only listen to one track try track 5, Amandrai.
Put a do not disturb sign on your door, Turn off the lights, sit back & be smotheredin the lovely slow & smooth playing.
Any music lover cannot fail to enjoy it. Also try Niafunke & The River also by Ali Faka Toure
Unbelievable "Feel Good" Bluesy Music of Mali - The Best - By: Erika Borsos, 26 Jul 2004 I have 6 or 7 CDs of music from Mali & find myself listening to this one most often. While I love them all --- the combination of musicians: Ali Farka Toure & Ry Cooder is unbeatable. Track #1 "Bonde" sungin Peul begins with a fantastic guitar introduction by Ali Farka Toure. Each note is drawn out just right to hook the emotions. The congas played by Oumar Toure provides an infectious rhythm. One male voice begins while a chorus respondsin rhythmic unity, telling the story of why some women are unsuitable for marriage. Track #2 "Soukara" is sungin the Bambara language ... it has the sound & feeling of music from the Caribbean with a suitable ambient melody. The male vocalist pours his heart out to his lover at night, so say the liner notes. Another favorite track is #5 "Amandral" sungin the Temasheck language. The rhythms & sounds of this desert tribe is familiar. They are unforgetable on the CDs, "Festivalin the Desert" & "Radio Tisdas Sessions", both of which are highly recommended. As each guitar note is plucked, the feelings of the listener are hooked. The feelings rise ... ever higherin resonance with the melody & mood expressed on the slide, acoustic & bass guitars, drums, calabash, & congas. Without exaggerating, I feel this CD contains some of the finest guitar playing on the planet. Other favorites are: #6, "Lasidan" (#6) which has a peppy, cheerful & upbeat tempo & #7, "Keito", which has musical elements of India & Pakistan or is it the Meditarranean? Ry Cooder plays the tamboura, Ali Farka Toure plucks & strums the electric guitar. There is a syncopated rhythm played on the congas & calabash. The music of Mali is highly distinct & very appealing. It is the best music from Northern Africa, & to this listener, the best from the whole continent of Africa. Erika Borsos (bakonyvilla)
Disappointing - By: R. Harris, 26 Jan 2004 
Not what I (or many others) expected. Might sell wellin Africa, but everyone that I've played it to thinks it's a big disappointment.
A risky buy that made me happy - By: , 12 Feb 2001 Anybody who has read Robert Palmer's "Deep Blues" or Alan Lomax's "The Land Where The Blues Began" will know that the roots of all todays popular music liein the rhythms that the slaves brought with them from Africa. I was browsing on Amazon when I came across this CD & thought it would put some music to the words, so I decided to buy (1-click does that to you!) Having played this CD a few times now, loud, quiet,in the car, at home I can certainly recommend it to anybody who has an interestin the history of whatever they're listening to now. More importantly, this is not just history, the music is very alive & vibrant & immaculately produced. Ry Cooder - keep searching & delighting real music lovers. An excellent buy.
Excellent stuff - By: r.webb@shef.ac.uk, 22 Jun 2000 I only discovered this cd when I hired it at random from Sheffield City Library. It wasn't my normal type of music & I wanted to hear something different. I noticed it had a Grammy Award & I thought I'd try it. I was not dissapointed. This is a superb, well recorded cd & the bluesy style rythms just draw you into it. Whilst some of the rythms are quite repetitive it never gets boring & keeps you listening from start to finish. Highly recommended
