RFI Musique - - Senegal - Baaba Maal's new sound

Baaba Maal's new sound

Moving between two worlds

Paris

11/08/2009 -

Senegalese music star Baaba Maal has spent over twenty years channelling his energy into music and activism. The singer has put a contemporary spin on his new album, Television, moving away from the pared-back acoustic sound of his 2001 album Missing You. RFI Musique speaks to an artist who refuses to choose between tradition and modernity.

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RFI Musique : What was the prime motivation behind the making of your new album ?
Baaba Maal: This time round I really wanted to present myself as a straightforward singer and musician rather than an "African musician". I wanted to see how my voice and the melodies I composed alone on guitar could evolve if I worked with musicians from different backgrounds. I think we've got people who listen to our music used to the idea of seeing us as "African" artists whereas we are simply musicians.

Is Television a project that took a long time to mature ?
Well, I did spend a while trying things out and then dropping them… In the meantime I wrote a series of new songs that I released in Africa. With this project I felt I really needed to take time to see what I could come up with after Missing You… I had to find something which ties in with what I've got to say - because there's not just the music, there's also the message you put across in your songs !

You've tended to alternate albums inspired by traditional music with more overtly "crossover" material. Is this because you feel the need to maintain two distinct facets to your work ?
Yes, they're both integral parts of my personality. The album I work on tends to depend on what's going on in my life at the time… When I feel the need to address people in my own community, in Africa, traditional sounds come welling up. But when I'm struck by something happening in the world on an international scale and I want to express an opinion on that the other facet takes over. The only problem is when these two sides collide and start jostling for position. I admit I feel a little lost and confused when that happens. Luckily, I always seem to find signs that set me back on the right path again. People like my friend Mansour Seck, who I've worked with for many years now, are also there to put me back on the right track.

Interestingly enough, you make special mention of Mansour Seck in the CD booklet accompanying your new album, acknowledging him as "my best friend". Why do you think your collaboration has been so fruitful ?
I'm fundamentally a traditionalist. I'm someone who grew up in a very African cultural environment, miles away from a big city. At the same time I had a bit of a modern European education thanks to my father who lived in France and who believed that sending me to school could make a big difference. So I feel plugged into modernity, too. Mansour's a 'griot' and whenever I get a bit lost he tugs gently on my 'boubou' and reminds me that when we started singing we just wanted to be traditional musicians, nothing more.

Your acknowledgements also credit Chris Blackwell, Bob Marley's old producer, who has helped and supported you over the years. Does he guide you in your musical choices, too ?
Chris made me aware of the role my music can play for the African continent as a whole. He persuaded me that I should put my talent at the service of my community, Africa, before even thinking about the business side of things. That's pretty rare in the music world, but Chris has always had a genuine relationship with me. When I was over working in The Roots' studio in Philadelphia he dropped in several times, not to find out how my new album was going, but as a friend, out of curiosity. And, yes, he's very often given me good advice in the past.