Track Listing
1. Coahoma
2. Big Road Blues
3. Special Rider Blues
4. Tamalah
5. Back Atcha
6. Rokie
7. La Chanson des Bozos
8. Mr. Turner
9. Cypress Grove
10. Station Blues
11. .44 Blues
12. Njarka
13. Charlene
14. Catfish Blues
15. Dark Was the Night, Cold Was the Ground
| Details | | Contributing Artists: | Ali Farka Toure, Bobby Rush | | Producer: | Corey Harris | | Distributor: | Universal Distribution | | Recording Type: | Studio | | Recording Mode: | Stereo | | SPAR Code: | n/a |
Album Notes
Personnel: Corey Harris (vocals, guitar); Ali Farka Toure (vocals, guitar, njarka); Ali Magassa (guitar, background vocals); Sharde Thomas (fife, background vocals); Bobby Rush (harmonica); Sam Carr (drums); Darrell Rose (djembe, sabar lam, bougrabou); Souleyman Kane (percussion, background vocals); Rising Star Fife & Drum Band.
Recorded between March 2002 & September 2003. Includes liner notes by Corey Harris.
While the relationship between American blues and its West African cousin has been an obsession of many blues enthusiasts ever since Ry Cooder teamed up with Ali Farka Toure on 1994's TALKING TIMBUKTU, few records have explored the connection with the nuance and ingenuity of Corey Harris's MISSISSIPPI TO MALI. Conceptualized when Harris participated in the 2003 Martin Scorcese documentary, THE BLUES, the album uniquely synthesizes elements of delta and desert blues. Featuring guests such as the abovementioned Toure, drum and fife prodigy Sharde Thomas, and harmonica legend Bobby Rush, MISSISSIPPI TO MALI features Harris's original compositions next to African traditional songs and Skip James classics. With each tradition informing the other in new ways, Harris has crafted a beautiful and souful acoustic blues tableau that moves the genre forward by looking back.
Editorial Reviews
[A] stunning achievement that brings the blues' relationship with Africa to the present day and recasts blues as world music.d
Living Blues (01/01/2004)
3 stars out of 5 - [T]his album should soon resonate through European concert halls. Good stuff.
Uncut (03/01/2004)
3 stars out of 5 - [T]he best tracks are those where Harris draws on his own inheritance, like 'Big Road Blues' and '.44 Blues'.
Mojo
...This riveting CD [is] a summitt meeting where boundaries dissolve in the melting pot. - Rating: B+
Entertainment Weekly (11/28/2003)
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