TIMBUKTU CALLING

SONGHOY BLUES TOP THE TRANSGLOBAL WORLD MUSIC CHART

- ■ JOHN CLEWLEY

Mali and West Africa dominate the Transglobal World Music Chart for May 2025, with the “desert blues” rockers Songhoy Blues leading the way in top spot with their new album Héritage.

Songhoy hail from Timbuktu but were forced to relocate to Mali’s capital Bamako during recent civil conflict. They formed the band in 2012, releasing to great acclaim Music In Exile (2015), Resistance (2017) and Optimisme (2020). Wonderfruit Festival fans might remember their brilliant show there in 2017.

The band’s repertoire, based around the rhythmically ebullient northern Mali guitar sound, immediately attracted the attention of locals and Toureg musicians who recognised the rootsy driving guitar sound of bands like Tinariwen. This tradition also includes much of the repertoire of the late Ali Farka Toure and further back to Zani Diabate and the Super Djata Band.