Tony Allen, the Nigerian drummer who helped shape modern Afrobeat working with Fela Kuti, lends his combo of force and grace on “Yere Faga.” Throughout there is a very effective, distinctive, complementary mix of traditional and modern sounds. The album was made partly in Stockholm with producer Andreas Unge and partly in Paris with the French trio A.l.b.e.r.t., known for work with Air and Beck among others. But it’s not all negative: several songs honor people of virtue and “Mali Niale (Beautiful Mali)” explores the nation’s attributes as she calls for those who have left to return and renew the land.īut where the lyrics speak directly to Mali’s people, women in particular, there’s also a global reach in the music. “Bena Bena (Ingratitude)” opens the album encouraging people to stay strong in the face of negativity and “Kamelemba (Womaniser)” takes cads to task. As the title, meaning “people today,” indicates, she takes in all that is happening now, with a stern, loving eye befitting her position as something of a maternal figure to many there. “Mogoya” is only her sixth studio album in that span and her first in eight years, a time which has brought much change to her life and dramatic changes in her homeland. It’s a powerful statement from a respected icon (she has her own model of SUVs sold in Mali and serves as an ambassador for the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization), an artist known for the power marking her music since a landmark 1990 debut album. It's the fighter, the undefeated rebel that you find here on this snapshot of an album.She takes the role both of example and leader, recounting the gossip and lies that have followed her throughout a long, notable career as one of Mali’s music stars, accusations of drug use, of pornography, of other allegations of transgressions she says were false. Never before had Sangaré appeared so far removed from her home country - it's a dynamic that ✺coustic« redresses, with Oumou embodying the same freedom & audacity of her debut, 30 years ago. Oumou was painted by Congolese artist JP Mika for the front cover, and more recently sampled by Beyoncé (who used ✽iaraby Nene« without permission on »MOOD 4 EVA«). Balancing the traditional music of Wassoulou and a forwards-facing curiosity, Malian instruments were augmented by electric guitar, bass and synths, with Tony Allen on drums. With that album, the woman who'd swapped selling water on the streets of Bamako for global stardom reconnected with her audience. The release of »Mogoya« in 2017 signalled the return of Oumou Sangaré after 8 years, during which she had been managing her numerous businesses (including agriculture & pisciculture). »Saa Magni«, which laments the passing of Amadou Ba Guindo (member of the Orchestre National Badema), and ✽iaraby Nene« (lifted from Mous-solou) in which Sangaré's lyrics dared to detail her first physical encounters. Oumou's capacity to confront suffering whilst preserving her connection to Malian values is reflected in two additional tracks added to ✺coustic«. ✺coustic« consolidates Sangaré's position as Mali's leading opinion-maker, established with her 250,000-selling 1989 debut Moussolou, which did much for the feminist cause in West Africa. Re-imagining her much-praised 2017 release »Mogoya« totally unplugged, in live sessions recorded over just two days, ✺coustic« is the final chapter in a trio of related projects, following 2018's »Mogoya Re-mixed« edition, which saw Sangaré's compositions retooled by high-profile fans including Sampha, Spoek Mathambo and St Germain. Oumou Sangaré releases acoustic album, ✺coustic«, on No Format.
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