An essential strong woman of African music, Oumou Sangaré did not choose the title of her most recent album at random: Timbuktu, a UNESCO World Heritage city, has become the symbol of Mali’s volatile situation during the last decade.
Posted at 1:30 p.m.
This is also one of the themes she tackles in this album, where it is also a question of the status of women in Africa, a crucial subject for the singer who, from her beginnings, criticized polygamy and launched in her own way a feminist revolution.
We think, listening to the first bars of Wassoulou Donwhich opens Timbuktu, that we will be dealing with a slightly more bluesy record, perhaps even tinged with rock accents. The primer is raw, indeed, powerful and very convincing. However, the sequel belies this first impression. Even if it lets hear hints of blues here and there, it rather shows Oumou Sangaré integrating the repetitive motifs or the slender notes taken from the kamele n’goni (a West African harp) characteristic of his music.
The Malian icon sings with poignant warmth on these rich tunes, several of which have the tone of a lament, animated by a powerful heart (the choirs are too, by the way). Timbuktu is undoubtedly Oumou Sangaré’s most “pop” record, in the sense of catchy and accessible. Kele Magnisong which arrives in the last third of the album, is simply irresistible!
African music
Timbuktu
Oumou Sangare
World Circuit