Diré

This is the third album from a highly respected musician from Mali. His two earlier solo albums were produced by Syllart, the last being 2010's Djitoumou, featuring a collaboration with Ali Farka Touré that found its way on to the Black Panther soundtrack. Soumaoro was a member of Ambassadeurs du Motel de Bamako with Salif Keita in the 1970s; and he composed the anthemic ‘Ancien Combattant’ of Congolese singer Zao; he also worked at Mali's Ministry of Education for 15 years. These days he concentrates on playing the traditional harp-lute kamalengoni, guitar and singing in French, Bambara and a little English.

Diré, the title of the record, is a town in northern Mali where Soumaoro was a music teacher at the age of 22 and where he met his wife. Opening track, ‘Diré Taga’ (Going to Diré), is a clear expression of his love for the town. Featuring original songs with notable traditional influences and instrumentation, including the balafon and calabash, Diré also incorporates subtle tinges of jazz, Latin music, country and blues into what is primarily a classic West African sound. Another of his famous friends, Amadou Bagayoko (of Amadou & Mariam), makes a guest guitar appearance on ‘Yélé’.

For Soumaoro this album is all about evoking nostalgic memories of his home town, a longing for the Diré of the 1970s that he fell in love with, and reflecting his hope for peace in his troubled country.