Album: Samba Touré, Albala (Glitterbeat Records)
What's sometimes missing with guitar-centred African records is a sense of air and space. But that's not so here.
The Malian bluesman is in a restrained mood, darkly contemplating recent upheavals in his beleaguered land. Albala is therefore a tense yet sombre effort that lands somewhere between the work of his one-time collaborator, the late Ali Farka Touré, and the more electronica-influenced work of the underrated Issa Bagayogo. A real gem.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies