Samba Toure – ‘Albala’ (Glitterbeat
Records)
LP/CD/DL
6 May 2013
The amount of new albums by African artistes
currently being issued Worldwide at the moment is quite astonishing, not only
in their number, but also in their sheer quality. ‘Albala’ by Samba Toure is no exception. On this, his third solo album (the title
translated as ‘danger’), Toure sings of his concerns over the state of the
world. Is it dark? Yes, it is.
Is it great music? You’d better
believe it.
In a lovely cd package, the lyric
booklet not only has his native Somghai language but also the English
translations and it’s absorbing stuff.
Don’t be fooled by opener ‘Be Ki Don’ (‘Everybody Dance’), a song of
celebration and of people singing and dancing together, for soon afterwards on
‘Fondora’ (‘Leave Our Road’) killers, rapists, thieves and looters are told to
leave the cities which they have attacked.
An indignant Samba says his piece.
Now approaching the age of 45, Samba
didn’t have the best of starts to his life.
His Father died before his birth and he was brought up by his Mother
together with his Brother. Ironically,
his Mother was one of the first women to sing with Ali Farka Toure an artist
whose music he would later fall in love with, and, with whom he would also
later collaborate with his own blues inspired blend.
Love song ‘Aye Go Mila’ (I Only
Think About Her’) is hypnotic with Samba’s guitar constantly inspiring. On ‘Ago Djamba’ (‘Life Betrays Us’), he
issues a warning – “Here, nobody is born rich, but we all have the same
value”. Again, blues based and sounding
wonderful.
The album is moodier and more
powerful than his last, ‘Crocodile Blues’, which received the Malian award for
best international cd, and, is certainly at the very least, on a par with
it. Even the title track, an
instrumental, is engaging and addictive.
Right up to album closer ‘Bana’ (‘Rain’) the album is captivating and
oozes feeling and dedication. This is
an album of considerable quality and one which should adorn many a music
collection.
8/10
http://louderthanwar.com/samba-toure-albala-album-review/
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