From the first listening to Héritage, the much-awaited fourth album by Songhoy Blues, it's clear that the 4-piece rock band from northern Mali are in a new frame of mind, moving into a more acoustic, creative re-imagining of the "desert blues" style that has brought them to world fame. For over a decade, when not on tour, the four members of Songhoy Blues, three of whom are originally from the north, have been based in Bamako, capital of Mali, unable to return to their homeland, where musicians are in real danger of their lives because of religious fanaticism that sees music as 'haram' (a sin). Charismatic, articulate and creative, the band burst onto the scene in 2013 with a powerful style and stage manner once described as "Timbuktu Punk". Their songs deal with issues of life and love in Mali, and are based on five-note scales, rock rhythms, gritty vocals, and glittering guitar. These elements are ever present in their new album Héritage, but with a more intimate groove laced with other sounds from different ethnic traditions from around the country. The experience of being in Bamako, a melting pot of music, has led Songhoy Blues to rethink their own understanding of the concept of tradition. It does not come from one single source. Héritage was recorded in Remote Records Studio and Studio Moffou in Bamako, with producer Paul Chandler, and draws on the remarkable wealth of musical talent in the city. The album presents new compositions and reworkings of old classics. It is infused with the ethereal sounds of various traditional instruments, all in the hands of great Malian masters. Héritage is compulsive listening for Songhoy Blues fans - at home and abroad - and more widely, fans of desert blues, rock, or just good music.
