Staff Reviews

Amadou and Mariam - Folila

Review by Andrew Kennedy

If you are willing to be patient Folila offers more surprises than you’d guess, flourishing on repeated plays. »

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digipack cd. amadou and mariam release their new album 'folila' through because music. featuring appearances by santigold, theophilus london, tv on the radio, yeah yeah yeahs and bassekou kouyat, the album is the follow-up to 2009's acclaimed 'welcome to mali'. the story of 'folila' - the word means 'music' in bambara - boasts three distinct chapters. marc-antoine moreau, the duo's long-time manager and producer explains: 'the original idea was to make two albums: a crossover record in new york city, where amadou and mariam have many musical friends and relationships and the other a more rootsy album recorded in bamako with mostly african guests and african percussion instead of a drum kit.' both plans came to fruition, but when amadou and mariam listened back to the richness of the two sessions, a third way suggested itself: to combine the two recordings in a seamless, organic fashion. the result is 'folila,' a near-perfect example of how tradition and modernity can work together to generate creative forward movement, two parallel rails leading to a common musical destination.
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