Songhoy Blues – Héritage (2025)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/44,1 kHz | Time – 44:38 minutes | 505 MB | Genre: Desert Blues
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Transgressive
From the first listening to Héritage, the much-awaited fourth album by Songhoy Blues, it’s clear that the 4-piece rock band from northern Mali are in a new frame of mind, moving into a more acoustic, creative re-imagining of the “desert blues” style that has brought them to world fame. For over a decade, when not on tour, the four members of Songhoy Blues, three of whom are originally from the north, have been based in Bamako, capital of Mali, unable to return to their homeland, where musicians are in real danger of their lives because of religious fanaticism that sees music as ‘haram’ (a sin). Charismatic, articulate and creative, the band burst onto the scene in 2013 with a powerful style and stage manner once described as “Timbuktu Punk”. Their songs deal with issues of life and love in Mali, and are based on five-note scales, rock rhythms, gritty vocals, and glittering guitar. These elements are ever present in their new album Héritage, but with a more intimate groove laced with other sounds from different ethnic traditions from around the country. The experience of being in Bamako, a melting pot of music, has led Songhoy Blues to rethink their own understanding of the concept of tradition. It does not come from one single source. Héritage was recorded in Remote Records Studio and Studio Moffou in Bamako, with producer Paul Chandler, and draws on the remarkable wealth of musical talent in the city. The album presents new compositions and reworkings of old classics. It is infused with the ethereal sounds of various traditional instruments, all in the hands of great Malian masters. Héritage is compulsive listening for Songhoy Blues fans – at home and abroad – and more widely, fans of desert blues, rock, or just good music.Ten years ago, Songhoy Blues burst onto the international stage during an ‘Africa Express’ tour with Damon Albarn, propelled by their groundbreaking debut album, Music In Exile. The band, made up of four young musicians from Timbuktu, had been forced to flee to Bamako because of the civil war in northern Mali. That first album blended the rich musical traditions of their native Mali, from legends like Ali Farka Touré to Tinariwen, and infused it with the raw, electrifying energy of British and American garage-rock. Rock music has always been a major influence on Songhoy Blues, even leading them to do a duet with the iconic Iggy Pop on their second album. But with Héritage, their fourth release, the band takes a different path. It’s kind of like if they did an episode of ‘MTV Unplugged in Bamako!’ Setting aside their electric guitars and drums, they return to their acoustic and folk roots of African music. The album features instruments like the kora, a traditional one-string violin, the acoustic guitar, and the calabash, all supporting those hypnotic, ascending melodies reminiscent of Ali Farka Touré and Afel Bocoum. While they’ve mastered high-energy rock, Héritage shows that Songhoy Blues are just as good at creating the subtle nuances of acoustic trance, Northern Mali style. It’s a style we’ve heard before, but few manage to deliver it with the same soulful energy and finesse as Songhoy Blues. – Stéphane Deschamps
Tracklist:
1-1. Songhoy Blues – Toukambela (04:40)
1-2. Songhoy Blues – Gambary (03:33)
1-3. Songhoy Blues – Norou (04:52)
1-4. Songhoy Blues – Dagabi (04:33)
1-5. Songhoy Blues – Gara (03:07)
1-6. Songhoy Blues – Boutiki (03:33)
1-7. Songhoy Blues – Boroterey (04:44)
1-8. Songhoy Blues – Batto (03:57)
1-9. Songhoy Blues – Garibou (04:18)
1-10. Songhoy Blues – Woyhenna (03:50)
1-11. Songhoy Blues – Issa (03:26)