Artist: Amadou & Mariam
Album: Welcome to Mali (2009)
Track: “Ce N’est Pas Bon”

You know when you hear an album and aren’t necessarily that into it the first time around but then you hear something from it at a later time in a much different context and when you go back and listen to the album again it’s all of a sudden magical?

Yeah, well… Welcome To Mali. It’s the latest album by the duo Amadou and Mariam and it came out to much praise worldwide last year. I bought it but the album sort of went by the wayside after a few listens. It was good, but my A.D.D. music consumption led me elsewhere.

Then last week, I heard a remix of “Ce N’est Pas Bon” done by Bullion, a favorite producer of mine from England. The remix is, like, perfect. I’ve played it about 15 times per day since. And it reminded me to go check out the original verison, and then the album in its entirety. And it finally clicked.

The combination blues guitar and local instrumentation is so dope. At points throughout the album, the guitar sounds get really dirty, expressive like early 20th century Chicago except half a world away… in the shared languages of music and feeling.

Tracklist:

01. Sabali
02. Ce N’est Pas Bon
03. Magossa
04. Djama
05. Djuru
06. Je Te Kiffe
07. Masiteladi
08. Africa
09. Compagnon de la Vie
10. Unissons Nous
11. Bozos
12. I Follow You (Nia Na Fin)
13. Welcome to Mali
14. Batoma
15. Sebeke