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Album review
Afel Bocoum
Tabital Pulaaku
Paris
04/06/2009 -
Tabital Pulaaku opens with a rich musical landscape, a guitar cascading notes like grains of desert sand as the njarka (one-string fiddle) picks out distant melodies and a flute carries in the sound of a gentle, caressing wind. Bocoum's iridescent vocals soar high overhead throughout, drawing the luscious instrumental ensemble into an organic, structured and harmonious whole.
Following the release of Alkibar (1999) and Niger (2006), Afel Bocoum, the singer from Niafunke (a town on the River Niger), is back again to enchant us with his musical and political digressions. Hailed as a musical heir to the late Ali Farka Touré, Bocoum has carried on the spirit of his uncle's heritage, singing in various languages (Tamasheq, Sonrai, Peul and Bambara) to get his messages from the Great River across to the widest possible audience. Themes on his latest album include Islam, voodoo cults, immigration and a heartfelt call for Malians to unite.
Bocoum's urge to drive his message home never overrides the gentle, hypnotic vibe of his music. His group, Alkibar, weave an irresistible trance, their multi-layered blues and vibrant call-and-response choruses working a powerful effect on hearts and minds. And Bocoum chooses his words with the art of the preacher, encouraging listeners to sit up and take heed.
Tabital Pulaaku is an album that resonates universally as Bocoum draws on the past with his face firmly turned to the future. Using his blues to convey an essential message of hope and touching on spiritual matters as he sings about politics, the Messenger from the Great River has a touch of mystery to his voice capable of healing the sickest soul.
Anne-Laure Lemancel
Translation : Julie Street
22/04/2011 -
04/06/2009 -
02/06/2006 -
