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Welcome to Mali

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Welcome To Mali
Studio album by
ReleasedNovember 17, 2008 (Europe)
March 24, 2009 (US)
GenrePop music
African blues
Electronic
Worldbeat
Length57:33
LabelBecause Music (Europe)
Nonesuch Records (US)
ProducerMarc Antoine Moreau
Laurent Jais
Damon Albarn
Amadou & Mariam chronology
Dimanche à Bamako
(2005)
Welcome To Mali
(2008)
Folila
(2012)

Welcome to Mali is the fifth studio album by Malian musicians Amadou & Mariam. It was released on Because Music on November 17, 2008, in Europe and was released on Nonesuch Records on March 24, 2009, in the United States.

In 2012 it was awarded a gold certification from the Independent Music Companies Association which indicated sales of at least 75,000 copies throughout Europe.[1]

Track listing

[edit]
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Sabali"Albarn, Doumbia, Moreau3:15
2."Ce N'est Pas Bon"Bagayoko, Moreau3:49
3."Magosa[2]"Doumbia3:43
4."Djama"Bagayoko, Dembele3:15
5."Djuru"Doumbia3:35
6."Je Te Kiffe (feat. Juan Rozoff)"Bagayoko, Rosoff4:18
7."Masiteladi (feat. -M-)"Bagayoko3:56
8."Africa (feat. K'Naan)"Bagayoko, Keinan3:48
9."Compagnon de la Vie"Bagayoko3:46
10."Unissons-nous (feat. Keziah Jones)"Doumbia4:16
11."Bozos"Bagayoko3:46
12."I Follow You (Nia Na Fin)"Bagayoko4:02
13."Welcome to Mali"Bagayoko3:20
14."Batoma"Doumbia4:13
15."Sebeke"Bagayoko, Doumbia4:31
16."Boula (hidden track)"  
Total length:57:33

Singles

[edit]

"Sabali," released on 27 October 2008, was the first single from the album. The second single was "Masiteladi."

Reception

[edit]
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic link
The Guardian link
Mojo
musicOMH link
Observer Music Monthly link
Paste(5.5/10) link
Pitchfork Media(8.4/10) link
Popmatters(7/10) link
Uncut link
Robert ChristgauA [1]

Welcome to Mali has received mostly positive reviews. On the review aggregate site Metacritic, the album has a score of 86 out of 100, indicating "Universal acclaim."[3]

Keith Phillips of The A.V. Club gave the album a grade of A−, writing "Welcome To Mali sounds heavily produced but not overproduced, and even with the pings and whizzing, Amadou’s playing and the pair’s singing insure it never sounds less than organic."[4] In another positive review, Pitchfork Media's Joe Tangari wrote: "This album is an affirmation of global connectivity and an emerging global culture that transcends and repurposes tradition as it sees fit-- the sound of Mali merging with the world at large."[5]

Paste's Nick Marino, on the other hand, called the album "frustratingly uneven," writing: "[D]espite moments of exuberance, it can also feel like a mundane grind [...]"[6]

In August 2009, the webzine Pitchfork Media named Sabali the 249th track in their staff list "The Top 500 Tracks of the 2000s"[7] and earned a Grammy Award for Best Contemporary World Music Album nomination in 2010.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Aktuelles VUT: VUT - Verband unabhängiger Musikunternehmer*innen e. V."
  2. ^ Spelled "Magossa" on the CD back cover, but "Magosa" on http://amadou-mariam.com/, "Magosa" is the title with which this song was registered with the SACEM, "Magossa" being the subtitle
  3. ^ Critic Reviews for Welcome to Mali. Metacritic. Retrieved 22 February 2012.
  4. ^ Phillips, Keith. Amadou & Mariam: Welcome to Mali. The A.V. Club. 24 March 2009. Retrieved 29 February 2012.
  5. ^ Tangari, Joe. Amadou & Mariam: Welcome to Mali. Pitchfork Media. 18 November 2008. Retrieved 29 February 2012.
  6. ^ Marino, Nick. Amadou & Mariam: Welcome to Mali. Paste. 23 March 2009. Retrieved 29 February 2012.
  7. ^ Pitchfork Staff (17 August 2009). "The Top 500 Tracks of the 2000s". Pitchfork. Retrieved 17 August 2009.