Amadou & Mariam bring their North American tour to a close with a free performance on the Santa Monica Pier on Thursday, as part of the Twilight Concert Series. The show follows tour stops at festivals like Lollapalooza, Central Park SummerStage, Outside Lands, Edmonton Folk, and Osheaga, in addition to headlining shows at theaters and clubs. The Los Angeles Times, in a feature previewing Thursday's show, calls their new album, Folila, "the culmination of a midlife rise to the top strata of the world music scene in Africa, Europe and North America."
Malian duo Amadou & Mariam bring their North American tour to a close with a free performance on the Santa Monica Pier on Thursday, as part of the Twilight Concert Series. The show comes at the end of the couple's two-week tour of the United States and Canada, their first such tour since 2009, which has included stops at festivals like Lollapalooza, Central Park SummerStage, Outside Lands, Edmonton Folk, and Osheaga, in addition to headlining shows at theaters and clubs.
The Los Angeles Times's Steve Hochman, speaking with Amadou for a feature article in advance of Thursday's show, describes the duo's new album, Folila, as "the culmination of a midlife rise to the top strata of the world music scene in Africa, Europe and North America." In the article, the singer/guitarist also discusses the "extremely distressing" events taking place in his home country of Mali and his hopes for his music as a means to encourage social change. Read the article at latimes.com.
On tour, Amdadou & Mariam are performing songs from Folila, which was released earlier this year on Because Music / Nonesuch Records and features contributions by Santigold, TV on the Radio, Nick Zinner, Theophilus London, Bassekou Kouyate, and others. Folila is produced by Marc-Antoine Moreau, who has worked with the duo since their 1999 debut, Sou Ni Tilé.
The Wisconsin State Journal's Rob Thomas, reviewing the recent concert at Madison's Capitol Theater, says: "It was amazing, life-affirming music, drawing in elements of the Western music that Malian blues inspired ... As respectful as the duo are of Malian heritage, they push that tradition into new places; the new album Folila features collaborations with Santigold and members of TV on the Radio. The result is music that feels fresh and alive, never standing still." Read more at madison.com.
The Salt Lake City Weekly, reviewing Amadou & Mariam’s recent concert with Andrew Bird at Red Butte Garden, exclaims: "In what was the best double bill of the summer, the very definitions of artistry and musicianship were laid forth." Read the review at cityweekly.net.
To pick up a copy of Folila in the US, head to the Nonesuch Store, where CD orders include an instant download of the album at checkout.
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