Each week, World in Stereo examines classic and modern world music while striving for a greater appreciation of other cultures.
Sidi Touré: Sahel Folk (Thrill Jockey, 1/25/11)
Sidi Touré: “Bon Koum”
[audio:http://alarm-magazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/01-Bon-koum.mp3|titles=Sidi Touré: “Bon Koum”]It has been 13 years since Malian folk artist Sidi Touré released a solo album. Touré’s 1998 debut, Hoga, is a bluesy, foot-stomping, electric-overdrive kind of record. At the time, Touré and many of his Malian contemporaries were on the cutting edge of the evolving Afro-pop sound, just before its revival hit the West by the turn of the century. Now at 51, Touré’s sound has definitely changed, but it’s as powerful and provocative as ever.
Sahel Folk, the West African musician’s debut on Thrill Jockey, is informed by the people and places most important to him, making for a record that comes off naturally introspective. Direct from the stunning red-dirt roads of Bamako, Mali, Touré and his unmatched guitar playing have made an album that’s nothing short of inspirational.
