Oumou Sangaré – Acoustic
Nø Førmat – Digital Out Now (Physical 28 Aug)
It used to be that I would turn my attention to music from Africa in the summer. It just seemed the right thing to do, what with the sunshine and the heat and being out of doors. It was also something different to play at a loud volume in the car, windows down – none of that AoR-music-to-drive stuff for me. This was back in the day (as I believe it is now referred to) when people were singing for Nelson Mandela’s freedom. Before then? Well, there was interest in music from Africa – I recall Missa Luba which was released in the mid-1960s and became a regular at primary school assemblies – but really the contemporary education of the West in the great rhythms of that continent could probably be traced back to the mid-1980s.
Anyway, I am providing a bit of context here as the more you dig around, the more you find wonderful sounds and rhythms and one of the centres of this is Mali. Mali has brought us, amongst many others, Salif Keita, Toumani Diabaté, Ali Farka Touré and Oumou Sangaré, who has a fabulous new album out titled Acoustic.
Acoustic is essentially an unplugged version of her 2017 release, Mogoya. That album featured traditional Malian instruments alongside electric guitar, bass and synths, a record for the pop culture. Time has moved on, even only in a short while, and prompted by trying the acoustic approach at a concert celebrating label Nø Førmat’s 15th birthday, Oumou has found the space to let her voice blossom.
The songs reflect the same issues that Oumou has been well known for bringing to light since her 1989 release Moussolou. An advocate for feminist issues in a society that can be intransigent when it comes to change and cultural progress, Oumou’s songs head straight for the jugular criticising polygamous marriage, arranged marriage and celebrating female sensuality. In the new album, the touch appears to be a bit more personal, a bit more about getting the balance right and these songs carry messages for all of us. The human condition is the same the world over.
Hitting the ground running, you might say, the first track Kamelemba (The Womanizer) attacks men who sweet-talk their way into a woman’s heart only to find that they are full of false promises – a song aimed straight at the centuries-old male-dominated culture. But, Oumou has always been about carrying her message to the young. You might not be able to change the old dog, but young ones can be shown the right way.
Family is central to the traditions and the progression of both the culture and of the equality of life in Mali as everywhere. Fadjamou (Family Name), a tune of trotting rhythms with Oumou’s voice flowing over, is about the importance of the family name in Malian culture, how it bonds people not only within the same family or ethnic group but across groups as well – and for Oumou, across Africa and around the world. Wherever she is, Mali is still her home, and in Mali Niale (The Beautiful Mali) emigres are encouraged to return home to help build this rising country.
Oumou’s mother, Aminata Diakité, is the subject of Minata Waraba. The traditional kamele n’goni of Brahima ‘Benogo’ Diakité and the acoustic guitar of Guimba Kouyaté underpin the song as Oumou praises her mother, the chorus of Emma Lamadji and Kandy Guira emphasising Minata the lioness throughout. This simpler arrangement, here and throughout the album really focusses the listener on the two major components: the passion of the voice and the movement of the music. The other instruments on the album, toy organ and celesta, are played by Vincent Taurelle.
Controversial Oumou may be, but then she does sing about every aspect of life – and death. Saa Magni (Death is Terrible) is a eulogy to Amadou Ba Guindo who helped put her first band together, and Yere Faga (Suicide) calls for people not to take their own life. There will always be suffering she sings, yet if you take your life, you will only be compounding the suffering of those you leave behind. However, as well as the lows, there are the highs such as the very catchy Diaraby Nene (Shivers of Love), one of Oumou’s most celebrated and controversial numbers. Written when she fell in love for the first time at 15, the song recalls the shivers of passion, the heat of being so close to someone for the first time is so intensive as be cold enough to produce shivers. Musically it has the simplicity of youth, the excitement of the memory of the experience and the joyousness of no regret.
There is video recording of Oumou Sangaré and her band in London on YouTube that exudes this joy and exuberance of her music, a big sound with electric guitars, keyboards and drums alongside the kamele n’goni; this is the sound of the big event. Acoustic brings that down to the 1-to-1. These tracks are intense and directed to you; nothing stands between the music, the voice and your ears. Oumou’s voice shines through, as well as her personality and her presence. A must – and not just for the summer. Excellent.
Photo Credit: Benoit Peverelli