Customer Reviews
amazing talent - By: Zamby, 23 Jul 2004 
This album has a great feel to it. Recordedin a minimal studio, with mostly acoustic backing (except for Toure's incredible guitar work), it is African "blues" at its best. Only, where the blues is about coming home to your shack with a hangover & finding your best friend with your wife, this source-of-the-blues music is more often about traditional values & unchanging virtues. Amazing enough, & then you read his offhand remark that the last track was improvised on the spot. The man is unbelievable.
Mali's blues legend - By: Mr. C. W. Smith, 03 Sep 2003 This is the first new recording from Tourein five years & it has been well worth the wait, recordedin his Malian hometown of Niafunke, situated on the banks of the Niger at the edge of the Sahara, this is a rewarding trawl through the ages & genres of African music, you can feel the heat & taste the dustin every one of the twelve superlative tracks. Those of you who loved his recording with Ry Cooder (Talking Timbuktu on World Circuit) will not be disappointed.
Toure has, perhaps unfairly, been compared to John Lee Hooker & it is true that both men share a shimmering intensityin their solo playing, both are easily the most dominant voicein a group context & neither has real respect to the regimentation of a song, it’s as long or as short as it happens to be, but where Hooker is angular, rattling line after line of sparse menacing notes, Toure seems to glide, his tone brighter, with less distortion than his American counterpart, it is the light to Hooker’s dark.
The CD’s opening track ‘Ali’s Here’ is possibly the most Hooker likein the repeating lines but the comparison ends as the Arabian sounding drums enter setting the stage for the chant like vocal that declares Toure’s gratitude & thanks to his people.
The joyful praising of Godin ‘Allah Uya’ & the majestic simplicity of the slowly simmering ‘Mali Dje’ where Toure pleads for Mali to educate it’s young for the future follow.
I’ve put a summery track by track, but no review will do real justice to this very, very fine recording
‘Saukare’ see’s Toure playing the Njarka Violin on a beautiful ballad that he says he learntin 1946 at a wedding.
‘Hilly Yoro’ see’s the return of one of Toure’s trademark licksin a song about co-operation & stability.
‘Tulumba’ has a traditional Malian rhythm dancing guitar figures & a political message.
‘Instrumental’ seems to be a free guitar piece rather reminiscent of John Fahey.
‘ASCO’ another breathtaking ballad dedicated to the musicians Toure has worked with over the years.
‘Jangali Famata’ Once again has Toure on the Njarka Violinin a quick tempo plea for the right of education.
‘Howkouna’ slows the pace for a call & response Malian style.
‘Cousins’ a lovely acoustic guitar workout dedicated to the people he grew up with.
‘Pieter Botha’ inspired by the end of apartheid & played spontaneously.
Overall this, as I’ve already said, is a great set of recordings & if you only have 1 African blues recordingin your collection this is as good as it gets.
cool but woth african rhythm; grows in intensity; spiritual. - By: trevor@hopkinspad.freeserve.co.uk, 22 Mar 2000 This CD is very cool & controlled, & has a spiritual depth. It woult appeal to Ben Okri who writes amazing novels about the spiritual intensity of Africa. You can also sense the 'roots' of American blues returning to its place of origin. The more you hear, the more intense the feelings. You can also imagine yourself somewherein the depths of Africa, isolated, yet close to mother earth. A deep spiritual work as well as a cool CD with amazing African rhythm.
