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When you meet Samba Touré in person, he comes off as a soft-spoken man, a man who easily charms you with his abundant smile and optimistic gait. But on his third album, Albala, which in the Songhai language means “danger” or “risk”, a weighted and at times defiant side of his personality emerges. To call Albala his darkest album is an understatement, but it is not a self-absorbed darkness. The cause of Touré’s worry is the crashing world around him, and more specifically the troubles echoing out from his beloved northern Mali homeland.
The last year has brought cataclysmic change and upheaval to northern Mali. The tragic details of this have been globally reported, so there is little point in sensationalizing them here. But the cumulative effect of these events on Samba’s music seems palpable. There is an added gravity to his voice and his words, an additional sting to his electric guitar; there are sharper edges and more complex undertones in his musical arrangements.
On “Fondora (Leave Our Road)” Samba sings with indignation:
I say, leave our road/ All killers leave our road/ Thieves leave our road
Looters, leave our road/ Rapists, leave our road/ Betrayers, leave... more
credits
released May 3, 2013
Musicians:
Samba Touré:
All Guitars, Calabash, Percussions, Lead and backing vocals
Djimé Sissoko:
Ngoni Ba, Gnoni medium
Madou Sanogo:
Congas, Djembé
With additional musicians:
Zoumana Tereta: Sokou (traditional violin) on „Fondora“, „Al Barka“ and „Idjé Lalo“
Aminata Wassidjé Traoré: Backing vocals on „Fondora“,
Hugo Race: Guitar and keyboards on “Be Ki Don”, “Fondora”, “Aye Sira Bila”, ”Albala”, “Al Barka”, “Idjé Lalo”, and “Bana”
Recorded in Autumn 2012 at Studio Mali, Bamako
Engineered by Konan Kouassi, assisted by Philippe Sanmiguel
Produced by Philippe Sanmiguel & Chris Eckman
Mixing: Chris Eckman at Studio Zuma, Ljubljana
Mastering: Milan Cimfe at Sono Studios
Design: Boštjan Pavletič
Photos: Chris Eckman and Philippe Sanmiguel
Management: Philippe Sanmiguel, samba-management@hotmail.fr
Website: www.samba-toure.com
samba.toure.official