Baaba Maal Albums (11)
What The Critics Say
On Television, Baaba Maal collaborates with Didi Gutman and Sabina Sciubba of New York's Brazilian Girls to fashion an album that combines subtle electronica with his own kind of Senegalese pop. The album took three years to record, and one track, the softly percolating dance tune "International," appeared the previous year on the Brazilian Girls CD New York City. The tune is club-friendly, with Maal delivering an unusually subdued vocal. The mix here is shorter and lacks the dub-like effects the Brazilian Girls dropped between verses on New York City. The album opens with the title track, a Maal/Brazilian Girls collaboration. A muted guitar figure that sounds like a music box floats below a funky samba-like beat. The African percussion embroiders the mix without overwhelming the bouncy club pulse. "Tindo" blends a drum loop, talking drum, and electric bass to propel the subtle intertwining vocals of Maal and Sciubba. "Miracle" sounds like South African jive. Long sustained electric guitar notes introduce this lilting, happy dance tune and Maal and Sciubba turn in a playful duet that skims across the glittering surface of the music. "Cantaloupe" was written by Maal, Gutman, and Barry Reynolds, the guitar player with the legendary Compass Point studio band. The melody has the Latin/Caribbean feel typical of American '30s movie musicals, while Maal contributes a traditional Senegalese vocal. A programmed rhythm track starts about midway through, to add a modern element to another laid-back track. Maal and Sciubba co-wrote "A Song for Women," a tune praising the power of African women, and it's another surprisingly mellow effort. Maal's vocals float in and out of the mix in a dub-like manner; hand percussion accents the song's drum loop without overwhelming its steady thrum. The album closes with two simmering acoustic tracks. "Dakar Moon," sung by Maal partially in English, has a vague Caribbean lilt that recalls the Cuban hotel music of the island's pre-revolutionary past. Sounds of nature -- the wind in palm trees, the shushing of the tide -- fill the background with Barry Reynolds adding some flamenco-flavored guitar. "Tindo Quando," another take on "Tindo," features Maal's acoustic guitar and a subtle balafon supporting the vocals of Maal and Sciubba. Sciubba sings a counter-melody in Italian to complement Maal's Fonyi vocal. Both singers hold back to show off the softer, melodic side of their vocal prowess. ~ j. poet, All Music Guide
'Missing You (Mi Yeewnii)'
Release Date 4/20/2001
Tracks 11
Label Palm
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What The Critics Say
As one of Africa's most pivotal musicians, Baaba Maal has consistently produced music that challenges cultural expectations as well as political/social consciousness. Since he was not born into the griot caste, the group that traditionally produces music and documents history, Maal oversteps many barriers to create tunes that inspire dancing, thinking, and spiritual connection. Missing You (Mi Yeewnii) represents a pinnacle of sorts. After the commercial success of Firin' in Fouta and Nomad Soul, which were albums that presented a seamless blending of modern and traditional cultures, Missing You returns to the natural essence of African music -- the people and land itself. It's an offering that reaches both the modern and traditional worlds without compromise. This CD is a collection of intimate, pure tunes enhanced only by traditional instruments and Maal's soaring voice. Recorded in the small village of Nbunk, just outside of Maal's native Dakar, the album brims with the nuances of rural African life. Composed on acoustic guitar, the songs range from the throbbing percussion of "Leydi Ma," to the unadorned simplicity of "Miyaabele," a melody indigenous to all of West Africa, which Maal brilliantly uses as a plea for African unity. Boasting balafons, koras, drums, hoddu (African lute), and even crickets, Missing You reflects Maal's vision of one Africa, and it's a beautiful vision indeed. ~ Rosalind Cummings-Yeates, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
The music of an artist's formative years can be revealing in terms of influences and background. But in most cases the outtakes from early work remains unreleased for a very good reason -- a lack of quality. However, Jombaajo proves that's not the case for Baaba Maal. Recorded during the sessions for his debut disc, there seems to be no reason these never appeared. They're fresh-faced, raw, and eager -- but passion is a good thing in music. Yes, there are touches of African reggae, mbalax, and many popular African styles, indicating he'd yet to completely find his own voice, but all the elements were already in place. Simply listen to "Baydikacce," for example, where the reggae canter of the opening explodes into soukous as good as anything that came from the Congo in the '80s, with Maal in complete control throughout. And sometimes simpler is better, as with "Suka Naayo," which appeared in a vastly embellished version on Nomad Soul. Here it's stripped to the bone, lean and sinewy, and decidedly hungry -- a much better version. Recorded in 1986, it's a fascinating, and very worthwhile, look at a star in the making. ~ Chris Nickson, All Music Guide
'Live at the Royal Festival Hall'
Release Date 3/16/1999
Tracks 4
Label Palm
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
Baaba Maal has long been known for his exciting live performances, and this well-recorded live show does a nice job of capturing his energy. Only one of the tunes here clocks in at under ten minutes and little of the time seems wasted, with the large band (with no less than eight percussionists) driving the singer in his remarkable performance. Of particular note is a guest appearance by Ernest Ranglin on the lovely "Koni." ~ Tim Sheridan, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Baaba Maal's first album for the upstart Palm Pictures label, Nomad Soul goes through all of the usual motions for a Maal album, which is at the same time wonderful and frustrating: frustrating given the extraordinary musical wealth of Senegal's traditional forms that is overlooked, but wonderful given the remarkable directions that artists such as Maal have taken with their newer, slicker productions. The basic texture of the album is almost a constant, rarely moving away from a relatively soft vocal track backed by a number of guitars and light percussion. This is music made for the Parisian market in large part, and more broadly the worldbeat market. Soft synths and keyboards exist merrily alongside soft guitars and koras. One exception from the formula on this album is the worthy "Yiriyaro (Percussion Storm)," wherein Maal's vocals are backed by a troupe of sabar players (more or less a Senegalese version of a djembe, with a harsh sound from the use of a stick for playing). Fans of Baaba Maal will probably already know and love this album and, more than likely, newcomers to his sound will be just as pleased with this one as with any other. ~ Adam Greenberg, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Senegal's Maal borrows from reggae, funk, and Tuculeur traditions for his take on international pop. Wango is one of his strongest efforts. ~ J. Poet, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Senegalese pop legend-to-be Baaba Maal released Firin' in Fouta in 1994. The album starts with a tribute to his bass player (and his family lineage of griots). Following is a tribute to African women that has more than a tinge of Latin thrown in. "Swing Yela" is a piece infused with more than his usual amount of pop, including a small dose of rap. Following songs range in topic from the Muslim faith to the world market to children's games. The thing that makes Baaba Maal appealing, especially on the Western market, is the way in which he combines seemingly traditional vocal techniques with up to date instrumentation. The keyboards and, more importantly, the drum loops give the songs a deep European club feel along with a strong push in the way of the vocals. Overall, its not a bad album in any way, though it could be attacked by fundamentalists on either side of the range of the album. African traditional music fanatics as well as Parisian clubbers. Conversely, it could easily be embraced by both. For a look into the brightest form of new music in the worldbeat tradition (traditional + western = worldbeat), Firin' in Fouta might be a pretty good shot. ~ Adam Greenberg, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
This is the album that introduced Baaba Maal's singular mix of traditional African rhythms and Western arrangements to the world. His third recording, Lam Toro bounds ahead of his previous two albums (which explored his folk roots), transforming Senegalese music with funky grooves and electrified melodies. ~ Rosalind Cummings-Yeates, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Reissued on Chris Blackwell's Palm Pictures label, Baayo is the logical extension of the gorgeous duet recording Baaba Maal did with fellow Senegalese guitarist and singer Mansour Seck, Djam Leelii, issued two years previously. Seck is back here, but this is clearly Maal's show. On one hand, he sticks very close to the open, droning whole-tone melodies in traditional Senegalese folk music. On the other, along with Seck and three other guitarists -- who all play in Senegal's kora-like style of fingerpicking on nylon strings and alternately keep rhythms by a series of repetitive patterns and interchangeable key signatures in chord patterns for harmonic depth and dimension -- keyboards and programming are added sparely and sparsely in certain places to beef up the percussion a bit and to layer guitars over others as well as create sonic ambience and space. None of it is over the top as it would become on his later records; if fact, it's barely noticeable. What is readily apparent is just how stunning Maal's voice is, and, when surrounded by a quartet of guitarists, how deeply he can dig in for the purpose of being a griot (storyteller), and to inspire religious faith and national pride in responding to calls to prayer, to provide for families, and to offer inspiration and example to coming generations. These are spiritual songs that reflect the joy and responsibility of a commitment to that way of life. It is quietly awe-inspiring and infectiously optimistic. Whether or not you can relate to the themes in these songs, their passion and sheer musicality will take you over. ~ Thom Jurek, All Music Guide
