The Rough Guide to the Music of Mali (World Music Network RGNET 1208, 2008)
It’s been said numerous times and hardly bears repeating that Mali is a poor country with incredibly rich music. This knockout collection is all the proof you’ll need as to just how rich. It’s a great starting point for anyone new to Malian music, and the more experienced lot will likewise find the scope of this Rough Guide plenty impressive. Though Salif Keita is conspicuously absent, most of Mali’s other leading lights are represented. The serpentine rhythm, rippling traditional instrumentation and desert-dry bluesy vocals of the opening “Bala” by Bassekou...