The Official Needles and Grooves 1001 Album Generator Project (aka Preachin’ about the Preachers if today’s selection sucks)

A large portion of my favourite musical discoveries over the past 7 years or so have been from Mali. I enjoy searching the sounds far and wide, but Mali quite consistently seems to find its way into my ears and heart.
 
Lee Newman said:
2/3/23
View attachment 165912
Little Richard - Here's Little Richard



Allmusic Review:
www.allmusic.com

Here's Little Richard - Little Richard | Album | AllMusic

Here's Little Richard by Little Richard released in 1957. Find album reviews, track lists, credits, awards and more at AllMusic.
www.allmusic.com www.allmusic.com
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I keep forgetting to come back to post on this one. I can definitely feel where people are at when they feel this is samey and don't disagree - but it's still straight fire to me. And the 16-month-old loved it too - we had some really sweet dance time together. I could, should and will listen to this one more. 5/5
 
avecigrec said:
I keep forgetting to come back to post on this one. I can definitely feel where people are at when they feel this is samey and don't disagree - but it's still straight fire to me. And the 16-month-old loved it too - we had some really sweet dance time together. I could, should and will listen to this one more. 5/5
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Maybe if you listened to the whole deluxe version I could get the samey dragging it down, but the 20 or so minutes it takes to listen to the original 12 tracks is over in a jiffy.
 
Lee Newman said:
2/6/2023
ab67616d0000b2730d3c010fcecbeb9669801e42

Songhoy Blues = Music in Exhile



The Guardian Review:
www.theguardian.com

Songhoy Blues: Music in Exile review – a Malian band to watch

Mali’s Songhoy Blues fled from their homes in northern Mali, joined the Africa Express and now release an impressive debut album
www.theguardian.com www.theguardian.com
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This is a 5/5 for me. I don't know that I have a lot to say about it from any sort of critical bent, and I haven't read up on it just yet - but it's beautiful and brings me great joy. I'll definitely be listening to this a few more times between now and the next album being announced.
 
Lee Newman said:
Not surprising because they are from Mali, but you can definitely hear the influence of Ali Farka Toure. It will be interesting to hear what our resident global music listeners think. paging @Poly-Rythmo and @Skalap
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I've definitely listened to them before but also somehow they've mostly passed me by. I'm in a v intense work week (in a fun way - eating, drinking, cycling, record shops in Copenhagen) so listening to this quickly now. I like it a lot - reminds me almost more of Tinariwen, at least at the beginning, than Ali. I love that desert blues sound, the more so when it's lacking any/much western influence. I remember seeing Tinariwen early in the 2000s and just being mesmerised by their energy. If I had to mark it down slightly, I find their vocals slightly less appealing than Tinariwen's, but it's a matter of taste.
 
Songhoy Blues is completely new to me, and I'm also pretty unfamiliar with African rock music at all to be honest, beyond a few Zamrock titles and what VMP has happened to highlight for me in the past. So this is very exciting! Halfway through the album, and I like what I'm hearing. Love the dry guitar sound and it has some killer riffs. But this is also a "need to be in the mood"-kinda record for me. This will probably be awesome on a Friday night with a couple of drinks under the belt.
 
Lee Newman said:
Not surprising because they are from Mali, but you can definitely hear the influence of Ali Farka Toure. It will be interesting to hear what our resident global music listeners think. paging @Poly-Rythmo and @Skalap
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This album sounds like Ali Farka Toure's nephews who live in America wanted to follow their uncle steps. I listened to the album on my way to work and enjoyed.
 
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Lee Newman said:
2/6/2023
ab67616d0000b2730d3c010fcecbeb9669801e42

Songhoy Blues = Music in Exhile



The Guardian Review:
www.theguardian.com

Songhoy Blues: Music in Exile review – a Malian band to watch

Mali’s Songhoy Blues fled from their homes in northern Mali, joined the Africa Express and now release an impressive debut album
www.theguardian.com www.theguardian.com
Click to expand...

Completely new to me as well. Love the guitar. I think the vocals will keep growing on me over subsequent listens. Nothing to not like here, but it does seem a little odd to have so new of an album on the list and I wonder if there aren't better representations of the style, and if not, is it just the mild western influence (clearly there in a song like Nick) and record label contact that places them on the radar over other bands from Mali and Africa in general? I'm not saying this to knock them at all, it's great music, but I'd like to understand motivation for what led the curators of the list to pick this one.
3.5/5 with lots of potential to climb on subsequent listens which it certainly will get.
 
Whiteout75 said:
Songhoy Blues is completely new to me, and I'm also pretty unfamiliar with African rock music at all to be honest, beyond a few Zamrock titles and what VMP has happened to highlight for me in the past. So this is very exciting! Halfway through the album, and I like what I'm hearing. Love the dry guitar sound and it has some killer riffs. But this is also a "need to be in the mood"-kinda record for me. This will probably be awesome on a Friday night with a couple of drinks under the belt.
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This is definitely a "need to be in the mood" album for me as well. I listened to it on my way to work today and it was just okay, but I could see where I might enjoy this more at home. I'm not sure what my rating will be. As of now this is probably my least favorite album pick so far.
 
Songhoy Blues - Music In Exile
I have no idea what to expect here.

A straight-up blues album, well I never! It occasionally slips into a more African / Tribal beat with accompanying chants, but this is the blues and I like it. The guitar playing is particularly excellent.

As with other albums from lands far away, I've no idea what they are singing about, but the melodies are catchy, and the harmonies are excellent.

3 / 5 stars.
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#12 - Songhoy Blues - Music In Exile

So I have never heard of them or this album, so this is completely new to me. I generally like African music (I know painting with a broad brush here) and this is no exception. It is a very pleasant listen, even if I doubt it will stick with me long term. I don't know if I have a whole lot to add to that other than the instrumentation and singing are both quality. One that I'll definitely make a point to revisit when I'm in the mood for some Malian music.

Rating - 3.5/5
 
I had this one on my personal list that I started about a year ago. I gave it a 3 at the time, and I think I will probably keep that rating. I enjoyed this a lot and I love listening to music written in languages other than English, but I haven't been able to connect with it yet. Maybe I'll need to do some research on the band and listen a few more times.
 
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