065: Moussolou, by Oumou Sangaré

Oumou Sangaré (Mali)
Moussolou (1989)
6 tracks, 32 minutes
Bandcamp • Spotify • iTunes

Oumou Sangaré is known as ‘The Songbird of Wasulu,’ and for good reason. Hers is a voice with such an awesome power and utter majesty. My heart leaps every time I hear Oumou sing, and I’m not the only one – she’s one of the biggest names in Malian music, both at home and abroad. Oumou’s style is wassoulou (named after the Wasulu region of Mali – it’s a subeditor’s nightmare), a style based on the sacred music of the hunters that was turned into a pop music by the youth of the 60s, using the signature sound of the kamelengoni bridge-harp. Oumou has revolutionised the style throughout her career, but on Moussolou (Women), her debut album, her sound was far rootiser.

The album was recorded in Abidjan in Côte d'Ivoire to put out as a tape for the local market in Mali. The album sold over 200,000 copies and made Oumou a star; it was this attention, together with a recommendation from Ali Farka Touré, that led to the album being released internationally by World Circuit Records. It’s a short one at just over half an hour and only six tracks long, but it’s all there needs to be to make a really well-crafted piece. The ensemble is also quite small – that’s where the rootsy sound comes in: it’s just kamelengoni, guitar, bass and violin, and with a couple of backing singers. The violin – played by Aliou Traoré – is an interesting addition to the style. It switches between a more American style such as would be found in country music and a most definitely West African sound that imitates the one-stringed soku fiddle.

The proper highlight, it almost goes without saying, is Oumou’s voice. It’s indescribable, really. You’ll just have to listen and find it out for yourself. I will do a bit of name-dropping here, though: of all the musicians I have interviewed, Oumou Sangaré may just have been the most thrilling. When I asked what song she sang when she entered a competition as a six-year-old, the title didn’t come to her straight away, so she sang a short refrain of it to jog her memory. This was as she was just putting on her make up backstage before a show, but the sound that came out of her mouth was from another dimension, it was so beautiful. Just imagine what it sounds like when she tries.

Moussolou was recently remastered and reissued in 2016 – that’s the version that’s on Spotify and everything (and that's the cover, above left) – and as a download it’s really cheap at only £5. There’s really not much excuse not to dig into this record that made a superstar.