Welcome to Mali

2008 studio album by Amadou & Mariam

Welcome To Mali

Studio album by

Amadou & Mariam

Released| November 17, 2008 (Europe)
March 24, 2009 (US)
Genre| Pop music
African blues
Electronic
Worldbeat
Length| 57:33
Label| Because Music (Europe)
Nonesuch Records (US)
Producer| Marc Antoine Moreau
Laurent Jais
Damon Albarn
Amadou & Mariam chronology
| Dimanche à Bamako
(2005)  | Welcome To Mali
(2008)  | Folila
(2012)

|
|

Welcome to Mali is the fifth studio album by Malian musicians Amadou & Mariam. It was released on Because Music on November 17, 2008, in Europe and was released on Nonesuch Records on March 24, 2009, in the United States.

In 2012 it was awarded a gold certification from the Independent Music Companies Association which indicated sales of at least 75,000 copies throughout Europe.[1]

## Contents

* 1 Track listing
* 2 Singles
* 3 Reception
* 4 References

## Track listing[edit]

No.| Title| Writer(s)| Length

|
|
|

1.| "Sabali"| Albarn, Doumbia, Moreau| 3:15
2.| "Ce N'est Pas Bon"| Bagayoko, Moreau| 3:49
3.| "Magosa[2]"| Doumbia| 3:43
4.| "Djama"| Bagayoko, Dembele| 3:15
5.| "Djuru"| Doumbia| 3:35
6.| "Je Te Kiffe (feat. Juan Rozoff)"| Bagayoko, Rosoff| 4:18
7.| "Masiteladi (feat. -M-)"| Bagayoko| 3:56
8.| "Africa (feat. K'Naan)"| Bagayoko, Keinan| 3:48
9.| "Compagnon de la Vie"| Bagayoko| 3:46
10.| "Unissons-nous (feat. Keziah Jones)"| Doumbia| 4:16
11.| "Bozos"| Bagayoko| 3:46
12.| "I Follow You (Nia Na Fin)"| Bagayoko| 4:02
13.| "Welcome to Mali"| Bagayoko| 3:20
14.| "Batoma"| Doumbia| 4:13
15.| "Sebeke"| Bagayoko, Doumbia| 4:31
16.| "Boula (hidden track)"|  |
Total length:| 57:33

## Singles[edit]

"Sabali," released on 27 October 2008, was the first single from the album. The second single was "Masiteladi."

## Reception[edit]

Professional ratingsReview scores

Source| Rating
Allmusic|  link
The Guardian|  link
Mojo|
musicOMH|  link
Observer Music Monthly|  link
Paste| (5.5/10) link
Pitchfork Media| (8.4/10) link
Popmatters| (7/10) link
Uncut|  link
Robert Christgau| A [1]

Welcome to Mali has received mostly positive reviews. On the review aggregate site Metacritic, the album has a score of 86 out of 100, indicating "Universal acclaim."[3]

Keith Phillips of The A.V. Club gave the album a grade of A−, writing "Welcome To Mali sounds heavily produced but not overproduced, and even with the pings and whizzing, Amadou’s playing and the pair’s singing insure it never sounds less than organic."[4] In another positive review, Pitchfork Media's Joe Tangari wrote: "This album is an affirmation of global connectivity and an emerging global culture that transcends and repurposes tradition as it sees fit-- the sound of Mali merging with the world at large."[5]

Paste's Nick Marino, on the other hand, called the album "frustratingly uneven," writing: "[D]espite moments of exuberance, it can also feel like a mundane grind [...]"[6]

In August 2009, the webzine Pitchfork Media named Sabali the 249th track in their staff list "The Top 500 Tracks of the 2000s"[7] and earned a Grammy Award for Best Contemporary World Music Album nomination in 2010.

## References[edit]

1. ^ "Aktuelles VUT: VUT - Verband unabhängiger Musikunternehmer*innen e. V."
2. ^ Spelled "Magossa" on the CD back cover, but "Magosa" on http://amadou-mariam.com/, "Magosa" is the title with which this song was registered with the SACEM, "Magossa" being the subtitle
3. ^ Critic Reviews for Welcome to Mali. Metacritic. Retrieved 22 February 2012.
4. ^ Phillips, Keith. Amadou & Mariam: Welcome to Mali. The A.V. Club. 24 March 2009. Retrieved 29 February 2012.
5. ^ Tangari, Joe. Amadou & Mariam: Welcome to Mali. Pitchfork Media. 18 November 2008. Retrieved 29 February 2012.
6. ^ Marino, Nick. Amadou & Mariam: Welcome to Mali. Paste. 23 March 2009. Retrieved 29 February 2012.
7. ^ Pitchfork Staff (17 August 2009). "The Top 500 Tracks of the 2000s". Retrieved 17 August 2009.

* v
* t
* e

Amadou & Mariam

Studio albums|

* Se te djon ye
* Sou Ni Tilé
* Tjé Ni Mousso
* Wati
* Dimanche à Bamako
* Welcome to Mali
* Folila
* La Confusion

Authority control |

* MusicBrainz release group

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