Boulevard De L'Indépendance

Chances are I would have bought Boulevard De L'Indépendance via an Amazon order within a few months of its release in 2006. I've scarcely dipped much more than a tentative toe or two into the deep pool of African music, but having acquired and enjoyed In the Heart of the Moon (Toumani Diabaté's collaboration with Ali Farka Touré) the year before, I was curious to hear this album too. I would likely have learned of its release via The Word magazine, which I routinely read in the mid-'00s.

This was during my time in Sweden. I did still shop for CDs from the 'Rocks' record shop down the road, a soulless little place (akin to an 'Our Price' shop in the UK), but for even slightly more obscure stuff I went on-line to buy. The bigger and better 'Skivlagret' stores would have already closed by then, what with the simultaneous rise of e-commerce and file-sharing.

The music: an all-star band fused into a well-oiled machine after a lengthy club residency in downtown Bamako, performing a selection of their varied repertoire. Unsurprisingly, it sounds wonderful. My favorite track is 'Africa Challenge' (aka 'Salsa'). On first hearing it I was surprised at the Spanish lyrics & Latin rhythms therein, having been unaware of the influence of Cuban music on artists in Mali: it's a heady and a joyous blend!

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All Wrapped Up

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