Songhoy Blues – Optimisme (Fat Possum/Transgressive Records, 2020)
Malian band Songhoy Blues performs music that differs from the familiar world music releases we receive from Mali. It is not jeli (griot) music or Tuareg desert blues. Instead, it is Malian rock with desert blues guitar influences and some Malian rhythms as well, performed with a rock band format.
Songhoy Blues’ lyrics support the empowerment of women, the dedicated individuals who seek the improvement of their communities and propose a world that is more compassionate and empathetic.
The highlight of the band is Garba Touré’s guitar work. He’s an excellent guitar player influenced by American and Malian guitarists and delivers remarkable guitar licks throughout the album. The other band members are Aliou Touré on vocals, Oumar Touré on bass and Nathanael Dembélé on drums.
Some of the western mainstream music media seem to be fascinated with one of the band’s songs ‘Badala’ ( “I don’t care” or “I don’t give a shit”) which has a sound that borders punk rock. In my opinion it is the least interesting song musically on the album although the message supporting women’s rights connects to a lot of young Malians.
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Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.