Mali Blues: The Film Soundtrack

This is the soundtrack to a documentary by the German filmmaker Lutz Gregor, which chronicles the return to Mali of Fatoumata Diawara after she had achieved success in Europe. It also examines the country's battered music scene in the aftermath of the attacks on music by Islamic extremists.
There are four songs by Diawara, all featured on her debut album, Fatou, although the version of ‘Boloko’ heard here is a live recording. Then there are three from that glorious ngoni (lute) virtuoso Bassekou Kouyaté, including the rousing ‘Desert Nianafing’, on which he and his band Ngoni ba are joined by the great Afel Bocoum and by Ahmed Ag Kaedi, who further demonstrates his guitar skills on three contributions by Amanar, the desert blues band he leads.
There's more Malian guitar blues from the excellent Samba Touré, and, in contrast, a couple of hip-hop tracks from the energetic Master Soumy. If the film is as good as its soundtrack, it is well worth seeing.