Customer Reviews
Creative - By: Mr. D-G, 24 May 2008 
Being a post punk indie kid this album is very different to anything else I own.
However if you like laid back Damon Albarn & proper tunes this album is very good. Personally I think better than any of the Gorillaz material.
8/10. '4AM At Toumani's' - By: Demob Happy, 10 May 2007 Albarn's Mali Music project is an overlooked album of beautiful mood & texture that barely belongs to the hideous 'category' of world music. This is very much a subjectivised, western account of African moods & musicianship, taken largely from muddled field recordings & mixed downin London. Mostly the range of instrumentation driftsin & out of the mix unhurriedin a manner that has morein common with sample-based music & electronica than world music. Indeed it starts disappointingly with the track Spoons that seems to bare no superficial resemblance to African music at all, more like the slick trip hop of Faithless's quieter moments. But listen carefully & you will hear all manner of found sound bubbling under the surface; the nocturnal vibes pervade, evidently recorded over night-long Mali jam sessions & banter. Track titles like '4AM At Toumani's', 'Kela Village' & 'Bamako City' give testament to the approach, which seems aimed at capturing the mood of a place rather than provide a platform for specific artists. Perhaps this is not for the purists of whom Michael Nyman referred to as the 'World Music Police'.
There are moments of unbearable lovliness throughout, that evoke a sense of Albarn's heartbreaking nostalgia for his experience, especially on songs fronted by him (Sunset Coming On). Absolutely a subjectivised & romanticised account, it drifts & swellsin a heady brew that uses African music & atmosphere as texture. 'Makelekele' splices together its range of instrumentation into a kind of demented African techno, while 'Le Relax' & 'The Djembe' are spectral, humid dub. Most tracks have irresistable hooks & grooves given added insistence by a variety of singers, as well as Albarn's melodica, which underpins some of the, er, melodies. The fragmented loops on 'Tennessee Hotel' recall mellower moments on Eno & Byrne's My Lifein the Bush of Ghosts, the voices, guitar refrains & found sound slipping hypnoticallyin & out of the mix. 'Niger', arguably one of the album's more untampered tracks, revolves around some simple guitar loops so beautiful that it makes you wonder what other African music you may be missingin your ignorance. Its not all light & groovy though, the slightly funereal closer 'Les Ecrocs' seems to have the darkness of the African night pulsingin its very blood, while the ghostly 'Institut National Des Arts' sends shivers up your spine.
On the whole though, its not an album of individual songs but of atmosphere & place. A journey, not a set of specific peformances or statements. Albarn, for all his political activity, doesn't resort to any po-faced hectoring about African povertyin the music or sleeve notes. Unnecessary really since some of the proceeds of this record go to Oxfam projectsin the region. If I have one (minor) complaint, its that the cut of 'Sunset Coming On' here is inferior to the track's live performance available to view on YouTube, which is extended by a mind-blowing three minute jam (check it out). If you like this you will also enjoy the crossover fusion of Crammed label's 20 Ways to Float Through Walls.
when world crossover works - By: ragnumpiza, 20 Dec 2006 
There are many attempts at world crossover music that fail but luckily this is one of those rare records that works on all counts. The mix is perfect & complements each with respect & real love of what good music is all about. It is the soul of africa presentedin a beautiful way. Tracks like "spoons" & "the Djembe" are just songs that move you deepin your heart. Whilst "les escrocs" will just transport you to all that is missingin your life. World music at it's very very best. If you like "world" music this should bein your top 10, though I find it hard to fit it into the catagory of "world music"...what is that?
a real good treat - By: , 04 Jun 2003 amongst the rubbish tweenie pop music of 2002 this little gem sticks out, the hypnotic tunes are really refreshing, if only all modern music was as good as this, it's how music should be.
World music rules at the moment... - By: Ziggy Spaceboy, 30 Jul 2002 I'm a big fan of all kinds of music butin the year 2002 it
seems, to me, that "popular" music is absolutely awful.
For some years now, I have been an avid listener of
non-Western music, Bollywood movie soundtracks & bhangra
being my personal favourites.
So it's good to see the brilliant Damon Albarn has embraced
"World Music" & made this excellent album. "Mali Music"
is full of tranquil sounds & songs, my personal favourite
being "Sunset Coming On" with it's dreamy, hypnotic vibes.
This album is a must-buy for anyone who likes good music,
it's as simple as that...
