Amadou and Miriam : What's their deal?

Totally illogical though all that is.

Really though, this album is just impossible to hate. Strikes all kinds of "right" balances without being tame or too tasteful. Not sure if one can really *love* it (like another album pimped to the NPR set last year, Sharon Jones') but I'll root for their success. Sometimes good music is just good music and can't be quibbled apart.

but the recent record is really quite good. would like to hear some of their malian cassettes and cds from before they had int'll record deals...just curious.

after posting something on Bassekou on the whirrled music thread, I figured I'd wake this thread for a highly highly recommended crosspost

Bassekou Kouyate & Ngoni Ba - Segu Blue

heard this in a soul food place, my friend thought it was Amadou & Miriam but it obviously wasn't the last one and it didn't sound like what I'd heard of their earlier stuff because it was more spare & folky, no traditional drum kit, but their harmonies do sound similar. Album is 100% solid all the way through and completely recommended to anyone who liked the Amadou & Miriam record and wishes they could hear more in that style without all the techno / drum loop trappings, Bassekou can play

http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=25184
http://www.myspace.com/bassekoukouyate

Cool! I'm def going to check that out.

I went to a wedding last year in Marseille and they played Beaux Dimanches, i was all awww.

By the way, it's Mariam with an A not an I.

-- Curt (cgould), vendredi 12 août 2005 03:03 (2 years ago) Bookmark Link

please ppl make an effort OK

also "Dogons" is on repeat lately

Uh, I don't see the connection between A&M and Bassekou Kouyate at all (at least, not beyond the shared nationality). Dimanche A Bamako is full-sounding, urban, hooky, propulsive and outward-looking in its influences. Segu Blue is sparse, raw, abstract, reflective, pastoral, traditional. It also centres around the ngoni, whereas A&M don't use them at all (although their guitar playing is ngoni-influenced).

(...but if you place Toumani Diabate between the two, then I think you can trace a discernible line...)

I would agree that the connection is somewhat vague, like I said it's mainly the sound of the choral harmonies -- Segu Blue is largely about showcasing the ngoni playing. waking up this thread may have been impulsive and probably only underlines how little I know about African music, this is less of a musicology based recommendation and more of a 'if-you-liked-that-record-here's-another-one-that-just-came-out-that-you-may-like' post. though I'm always up for any excuse to wake up the Amadou and Mariam thread because I really like them

This is album is among the most well-produced things I've ever heard.

is

Where's the love for the new album? Damon's produced Sabali is a gem.

I just read Erin M. rave about it on her blog. It's an overpriced import for Americans from Amazon, wonder where else I can get it.

Here they are recently with Johnny Marr--

wow thanks

Yeah "Sabali" is indeed fantastic, reminds me of music I love without pointing to any specific direction.

this sounds awesome but i am not really loving it

Why is that? Her voice

It sounds a bit rougher in that video than usually

Maybe Hoos will LOVE this--"Sabali" has electronic programming

"Sabali" isn't particularly representative of the rest of the album, though. (Which has taken a few plays to break through the "here we go again" feeling engendered by over-playing its predecessor, but I'm starting to get there now...)

Yeah, I love dthe previous one but I'm not really sure I wanna check out the new one

Definitely worth checking out, I'd say. But be prepared for posiible initial weariness/wariness...

WOW - it seems they've been invited to perform at Obama's inauguration!!

link?

En français pour toi Michel:

http://next.liberation.fr/article/barack-obama-invite-amadou-et-mariam

ok seriously what is holding up US release of the new one

what is the problem

admittedly it's a grower, at first it just seemed too redux with only two standout tracks but those tracks were so over the top outstanding I kept going back to the whole thing and all reservations were liquidated -- it's not redux at all, if anything they worked even more in there this time

Amadou & Mariam’s new album, Welcome to Mali, will be released in the US this March Talk to their US label Nonesuch. Nonesuch just released Rokia Traore's in the US even though it came out last year overseas.

It's on iTunes. Change your settings from the US (to UK or Canada) maybe?

For me it was a slow burner... but it turns out Welcome to Mali is a great record. It's surprising ILM didn't give a damn about it.

Agreed. Initial impression was "Pfft, we've heard all this before" - but I think that was a hangover from having played Dimanche A Bamako to death and beyond. I love the last track (as listed on the sleeve, not the hidden bonus track).

Rokia Traore's album also great.

This American is still waiting for A & M's March release here. Rokia's in the US on tour now. May go see here next week and need to get the new disc now that it's finally out here

Cd finally coming out in the US Tuesday March 24. Big New York Times profile in Sunday March 22nd paper.

I really like the cd. They're on tour in the US now. Did Boston the other night and New York tonight. Plus they're on the Jimmy Fallon tv show at 12:35 am or something. Coming to the Birchmere outside DC Wednesday.

http://www.expressnightout.com/content/2009/06/amadou_and_mariam.php World peace via Amadou & mariam says Christopehr Porter, or something like that.

Great one and a half live show at the Birchmere, outside Washington DC last night. A very good percussionist, 2 energetic women dancers/background singers, keyboard, trap drums, and bass plus A & M. Amadou's guitar playing nicely captures Malian styles and psychedelic rock

One and a half hour. Mariam's voice is impressive too

They're also doing arena shows opening for Coldplay. I wonder what their audience thinks?

They're also doing arena shows opening for Coldplay. I wonder what their audience thinks?

Time to buy a hot dog.

holy shit I had never heard this sabali song b4! looked them up on youtube just because they were so awesome when I saw them at a festival this summer and i was feelin lonely 4 the friends i saw them with

Dimache a Bamako is the shit

Yes it is.

Beautiful.