V.A. - The Rough Guide To The Music Of Mali (2008) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Anyone having to assemble a compilation of Malian music is faced with an embarrassment of riches. It's not what you put in, but what you have to leave out. There are very few missteps here -- no Super Rail Band, for instance, and the dubious inclusion of Keletigui Diabate's "Summertime in Bamako" (the standard "Summertime" played on balafon, although it does connect some dots between West African music and jazz). And though the late Ali Farka Touré doesn't get a solo cut, he's featured here with his son, on "Tabara," and with kora genius Toumani Diabaté on "Simbo," as well as being the subject of a song by his protégé Afel Bocoum. There's the full range of Malian music, with Habib Koité's accomplished but rooted Afro-pop sound on "Mali Ba," the rural Wassoulou female singing of the wonderful Oumou Sangare, the deep rough griott Kandia Kouyate (with a long, hypnotic guitar into from Djelimady Tounkara) and even nods to the future from Issa Bagaoyogo and the blind duo of Amadou & Mariam. The track from Les Ambassadeurs Internationales harks bark to the '70s, when big bands were king (and sneaks in wonderful singer Salif Keita), while the venerable Boubacar Traore is a gloriously bluesy singer/songwriter. As a primer, it's great, an introduction to so many excellent artists, and gives a strong flavor of the country's musical geography. by Chris Nickson  
Tracklist:
1 –Bassekou Kouyate & Ngoni Ba Feat Zoumana Tereta : Bala 5:56
2 –Ali Farka Touré & Toumani Diabate : Simbo 4:02
3 –Habib Koité & Bamada : Mail Ba 4:42
4 –Amadou & Mariam : La Realité    3:34
5 –Issa Bagayogo : Kalan Nege    4:07
6 –Oumou Sangare : Baba    4:00
7 –Afel Bocoum : Ali Farka 3:52
8 –Rokia Traoré : Kanan Neni 6:15
9 –Vieux Farka Touré Feat Ali Farka Touré : Tabara 3:19
10 –Kandia Kouyate : San Barana 6:20
11 –Babani Kone : Djeli Baba 5:06
12 –Les Ambassadeurs Internationales : Mousso Gnaleden 5:28
13 –Boubacar Traore : Mouso Teke Soma Ye 4:18
14 –Tinariwen : Arawan 4:08
15 –Keletigui Diabate : Summertime In Bamako 3:25

 

V.A. - The Rough Guide To The Music Of Sudan (2005) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

This overview of modern and traditional music from Sudan, a huge desert region just south of the Sahara, offers an interesting mix of urban studio tracks and rural field recordings, along with tracks that seem to fall somewhere in between. At one extreme are the eerily lovely voices of the Omdurman Women's Ensemble, singing a naughty song of political commentary titled "Daloka Bet el Mal," and the even eerier and lovelier unnamed solo vocalist who sings a lament titled "Ee Wayi, Wayi, Hauya Agreement Tilaloni." The sound quality is dodgy on these two tracks, but the music is more than powerful enough to compensate. At the other extreme is Emmanuel Jal, a former child soldier who has become a rock star in his native country by combining American hip-hop with indigenous Sudanese musical elements. Somewhere in between are Joseph Modi's reggae-inflected "In Kadugli," Mohammed Wardi's energetic "Azibni," and the somewhat overlong "Kabbas" by elder statesman Abdel Karim el Kabli. Overall, this album probably won't be everyone's cup of tea, but it's hard to imagine anyone who wouldn't enjoy at least some of it very much. by Rick Anderson
Tracklist:
1 –Rasha : Aguis Mahasnik Biman 3:23
2 –Abdel Karim El Kabli : Kabbas 5:33
3 –Emmanuel Jal : Gua 3:53
4 –Tarik Abubakar & The Afro-Nubians : Tour To Africa 4:13
5 –Setona : Sawani 4:09
6 –Joseph Modi : In Kadugli 3:11
7 –Zar Omdurman : Chant 1 2:11
8 –Abdel Aziz El Mubarak : Na-Nu Na-Nu 7:10
9 –Mustafa Al Sunni : Ya Jamil Ja Mudalal 4:56
10 –Mohammed Wardi : Azibni 7:03
11 –Muhamed El Amin : Habibi 7:16
12 –Omdurman Women's Ensemble : Daloka Bet El Mal 3:10
13 –Didinga Singer : Ee Wayi, Wayi, Hauya Agreement Tilaloni 1:41
14 –Abdel Gadir Salim : Mal Wa Ihtagab 5:28

V.A. - The Rough Guide To Desert Blues (2010) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

The desert blues has developed into its own musical genre, the root of the blues. Following its initial popularization by the late Ali Farka Touré (who is represented here, of course, showing how stripped-down his music could be compared to those who have followed), it has really blossomed thanks to the influx of Tuareg bands. After artists like Tartit and Mariem Hassan came Tinariwen, who broke through and really established the desert blues. They were followed by their sub-Saharan companions Terakaft and Tamikrest, who have also been receiving plenty of attention, and yet more names wait in the wings, such as Jalihena Natu. The odd ones out here are Amadou & Mariam, the Malian duo who found a measure of fame recording with Manu Chao. Their music might have a foundation in West African blues, but it is not desert blues, even if the track used here hints at it slightly. As an introduction to the desert blues, this does a very thorough job and the inclusion of an earlier complete album by Etran Finatawa (also on the compilation) adds real value for the money. by Chris Nickson
Tracklist 1 :
1 –Terakaft : Ténéré Were Tat Zinchegh 4:47
2 –Bassekou Kouyate & Ngoni Ba : Banbugu Blues 5:04
3 –Ali Farka Touré : Mali Dje 5:37
4 –Tinariwen : Tenhert 5:27
5 –Mariem Hassan : Tefla Madlouma 4:07
6 –Etran Finatawa : Aitimani 7:04
7 –Malouma : Yarab 5:02
8 –Amadou & Mariam : Beaux Dimanches 3:21
9 –Samba Touré : Kaïri Kaïri 5:21
10 –Tartit    Achachore : I Chachare Akale 4:29
11 –Jalihena Natu : El Profeta 4:44
12 –Mamane Barka : Mashi 3:48
13 –Tamikrest : Aratane N'adagh 5:11

V.A. - The Rough Guide to the Music of the Sahara (2005) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Most Westerners probably don't really think of the Sahara Desert as a hotbed (sorry) of musical culture, so it might be hard to know what to expect from this collection. As it turns out, the music of the Sahara region seems to be pretty sedate and even delicate, which makes a certain kind of sense when you think about it -- blistering heat and raging winds probably create neither a desire to dance around a lot nor much of a taste for wild raving noise. The songs that feature voices singing in Arabic and accompanied by mysterious-sounding fretted instruments are the least surprising, and they also provide some of the lightest and loveliest moments on the disc: "Al Jbal Li Dargoug Aaaliya" by Compagnie Jellouli & Gdih, for example, and Tinariwen's "Alkhar Dessouf" (which features electric guitar and a muted drum as well). Several tracks are characterized by an understated rhythmic intricacy that is easy to miss if you aren't paying attention -- try sorting out the polyrhythmic strands that make up Chet Féwet's "Tadzi-Out," for example. "Malfa Sibori," by Seckou Maïga, is the album's only real disappointment, and even that song is only tedious rather than actually unpleasant. Recommended. by Rick Anderson  
Tracklist:
1 –Compagnie Jellouli & Gdih : Al Jbal Li Dargoug Aaaliya 7:45
2 –Malouma : Jraad 4:42
3 –Tinariwen : Alkhar Dessouf 4:52
4 –Hasna El Becharia : Hakmet Lakdar 5:48
5 –Chet Féwet : Tadzi-Out 6:57
6 –Aziza Brahim : ¡Dios Mio! 2:12
7 –Nayim Alal : Bleida 3:45
8 –Mariem Hassan : Id Chab 3:34
9 –Tartit Ensemble : Ikruhuwaten 3:58
10 –Seckou Maïga : Malfa Sibori 6:10
11 –Groupe Oyiwane : Tagot 3:12
12 –Kel Tin Lokiene : Ihama 2:45
13 –Sahraoui Bachir : Fid El Youm 7:15