Ali Farka Toure & Ry Cooder - Talking Timbuktu

As a fan of the Tuareg group "Tinariwen', I couldn't resist buying this CD when I saw that another famous native of their region hooked up with Ry Cooder. If you've ever listened to Ry's soundtrack works or his wonderful stuff on 'A Meeting by the River' or "The Buena Vista Social Club' then you'll know why he is such a great match for a veteran like Mr. Toure. Ry's son , Joachim, is a good addition with his drum work too!

Both of these men share a love of guitar music and it shows in every track of this CD. Similar to the effect generated with listening to 'Tinariwen', Talking Timbuktu transports me to the barren- but beautiful- expanses of the Saharan regions. It doesn't matter if its Mali, Niger or Algeria- the effect is the same. If you are familiar with the region, you'll get my meaning. Its haunting and mesemerizing at the same time.

This is an absolutely gorgeous CD. It also makes for fantastic 'road music' for when I take road trips. Trust me, its a good companion when the long trails of New Mexico and Arizona beckon and you want music for along the way. BTW- there's a good hour's worth of music here. This is no short trip! ;)

Talking Timbuktu definitely TALKS to me! It is not a waste of money at all!

I bought this CD because of Ry Cooder. I've loved his music since first hearing on the soundtrack for "Paris Texas." I'm also very much into indigenous and ethnic music and am happy to have discovered Ali Farka Toure in this CD. Sometimes slow, sensual, hypnotic, and bluesy like the songs Amandria (my favorite) and Ai Du, and sometimes more rhythmic with a strong beat that you want to get up and dance to, the music on this CD grabs you every which way. Ali Farka Toure's rich voice also adds another dimension to the quality of this CD, on top of the music itself. And every song is top notch. It's rare for me to like every song on a CD, but I love every song. It doesn't disappoint on any level.

"Talking Timbuktu" is one of those CDs where you have an aha moment. Oh yes, you have heard this music before and yet, not quite. Ry Cooder and Ali Farka Toure play beautifully together and truly bring the Mali's music straight to us. This is an extremely listenable CD and well worth the price.

This is really good music. A combination of blues, African, something I cannot put a description to. Each person has to experience this to see what it means to him (her).

As usual, this is another spectacular disc, only made better by the addition of Ry Cooder.

This CD is just fabulous and everyone who hears it wants a copy. Very sophisticated yet original music,
soothing and exciting sound.

This will make you want to dance. Standouts for me:


"Lasidan" - Gets in your head. It's possibly my favorite song on the album. Touré's voice resonates in the mind for days.

"Banga" - Ali Farka Touré is incredible here on the njarka. The combination of this beautiful instrument, the congo, and the calabash is breathtaking.

"Diaraby" - A fitting end. Lovely.

It's an all-around beautiful disc.


Side note: If you like this album, you should really check out Ali Farka Touré's son, Vieux Farka Touré.

I enjoy African music and love this CD. One of the songs on this CD is very famous. It's called "Ai Du" from the movie "Unfaithful".

It's eerily amazing how musicians continents away can produce similar music. Many of the songs have long preludes before the vocals come in and I found myself almost wanting the cd to be instrumental, the rhythm is so awesome. Ry Cooder meshes well with Ali Toure and his ensemble being sure not to overpower the traditional tune, but nevertheless his sound is not lost in the mix. I bought the CD for Ai Du featured in movie Unfaithful but ended up liking many others with that similar groove. This cd is a risk for listeners not open to stretching their concept of the blues due to it's repetitious Malian vocals. In my opinion it's a risk worth taking.

I love this cd. It is rich and sensual. I first heard part of it on the film "Unfaithful." I will definitely be buying more of this artist.

Glad I bought this CD. It was my first exposure to Ali Farka Toure, but my experience with Ry gave me the confidence to explore new ground. Good move.

This is a wonderful record of two masters exploring the breadth of musical language. Ry Cooder is one of those few great musicians who, although he has chops that won't quit, submerges his ego and technique in the service of the song. Hearing Ry and Ali Farka Toure together is a treat.

Pay no attention to the couple of reviewers who speak poorly of Cooder's playing. Uninteresting musically? Weak contribution? Not as deep a performer? Huh? Everyone is entitled to his/her opinion, but in the interest of full disclosure, these folks just don't know what they're talking about.

Talking Timbuktu is a conversation between jazz and traditional West African music, likely the grandfather of jazz. Wonderful rhythms, great improvisation and evocative emotional expression.

Ali Farka Toure was one of the greatest guitarists to come out of Africa, which is quite an achievement, given all of the talent there. His Mali blues sound was as soulful as any of the American blues masters.

I would disagree with other reviewers who insist that Cooder has somehow watered down the music - there's great interplay between these two, and having seen Toure on a few occasions in the 90s, I'd have to say that the album did capture his sound at that point in time.

Sadly, Ali Farka Toure passed away a few months ago (March 2006). His presence will be missed.

It seems clear while listening to this record that Ry Cooder was trying to get Ali's music more well known around the world, in particular, North America. What results is a record that is often overatted especially in comparison to Ali's other work. Ry Cooder is sometimes subtle in his approach, other times he seems like a guest star, and depending on your preference, this could be a good or a bad thing. For a long time, I disliked this record, after all, Ali wasen't all to happy with it, his next "Niafunke" is what he really wanted to record, and it was actually recorded in Niafunke, Mali, near Timbuktu. "Talking Timbuktu" was recorded in L.A., and while it dosen't loose all of it't other side of the world flavor, it sweetened up alot. Ry's production is far worse than Nick Gold's. Ry puts a semi-glossy reverb that allows, Ali's guitar to get lost in the mix and a contempory touch (obviously meant to draw people afraid of African music in). "Soukora" is probally the strangest track because it sounds carribean, far from the islamic/blues/african sound of Toure's past work at that point. Still Ry's influence infuses "Diaraby" and "Lasidan" with a sound that is unique in Ali's catalouge and at these moments the collaboration works. Ali Farka Toure, a genius guitar player (check out "Red" for an easy example at the hieght of his acoustic powers), Mayor of Niafunke, farmer, farther, ect passed on recently. Do yourself a favor, pick up all his releases, this is the only one that is not worth (IMO) of a 5 star rating.

I've been searching for the tune Diaraby since september. I finally found it here. I heard it on "the World" and I haven't gotten it out of my head since. I really recommend this. Great album. Get it.

I initially purchased this CD for the song 'Ai Du" from the movie "Unfaithful"...As luck would have it, if you like that song, the rest of the CD is even better. Catchy blues tunes such as that on track 5, that remind you of Chicago R&B, mixed with a New Orleans southern blues style of sound and vocals. This CD is an enjoyable, relaxing mix of sound and takes the listener into the souls of the musicians. I highly recommend this CD to anyone who wants to have a little change of pace in sound from the norm of every day radio with it's top 40 pounding out the same sound over and over.

I have spent enough time in good faith effort of listening to Ry Cooder to come to the conclusion that I cannot understand his appeal.

I do applaud his taste. The Buena Vista Social Club is an excellent project that has brought wonderful music to a great many people, and who would argue with the greatness of Ali Farka Toure? However, when Cooder picks up his ax and starts to play along, what he produces is so uninteresting musically, in fact has so little musical content, that he adds a blunted edge to the whole. Cooder is essentially a colorist, which may be effective in film scores that carry a sentimental attachment for listeners, but when the idea is just music and listening, he's like a black hole suck out all the interest.

This CD is a case in point. Toure was a great musician, every note he played inherently interesting, musical and soulful. Yet put him in the room with Cooder, and the result is every track is static, navel-gazing, monotonous. A terrible waste of talent and money, although if you're looking for slightly exotic aural wallpaper, this will do nicely. Not a good choice for fans of Toure or those exploring his work.

Talking Timbuktu in collaboration with Ry Cooper, definitely connects the music of Africa with the blues music in America. There is a strong connection to blues music and of the Malian music. This is a great CD to listen to. Anyone that is a music enthusiast should get this CD. Listen to it carefully and compare it to Delta blues music. There is that powerful connection that draws the listener to succumb to the guitar and fiddle playing. This is the best CD to come out in 1994.

I recently purchased Talking Timbuktu and I love it. It was my first purchase by this artist. I'm sad that Mr. Toure passed away recently in his country.

I bought this after seeing the film (Unfaithful) in which it figured....an excellent album of african/blues music...very happy with my choice

With an excellent group of guest appearances from the likes of Ry Cooder, John Patitucci and Gatemouth Brown, this collection of songs showcase Ali Farka Toure's talent and depth. Although I do not speak or understand any of the languages (and Toure can sing in 11 different tongues), the music itself establishes the emotional foundation that allows Toure's voice to evoke the listeners empathy. The album contains the hypnotic repeating figures of African folk music as well as seminal Delta blues. Well worth the price.

FANTASTIC !!! I WOULD HIGHLY RECOMMEND THE ALBUM, I LISTEN TO IT FOR HOURS.

Everytime, they asked the geo quiz I just simply could never concentrate on the question being asked and just simply melt away in the most romantic back ground music. Very nice!!

I first heard the track Ai Du while watching the movie Unfaithful. When I heard this song, I immediately went on a wild search looking for this music. It was like my soul yearned to hear it again. Needless to say, this song is my favorite part of the movie. The entire CD has a senusal, raw jazz/blues feel to it. Highly recommended.

I have 6 or 7 CDs of music from Mali and find myself listening to this one most often. While I love them all --- the combination of musicians: Ali Farka Toure and Ry Cooder is unbeatable. Track #1 "Bonde" sung in Peul begins with a fantastic guitar introduction by Ali Farka Toure. Each note is drawn out just right to hook the emotions. The congas played by Oumar Toure provides an infectious rhythm. One male voice begins while a chorus responds in rhythmic unity, telling the story of why some women are unsuitable for marriage. Track #2 "Soukara" is sung in the Bambara language ... it has the sound and feeling of music from the Caribbean with a suitable ambient melody. The male vocalist pours his heart out to his lover at night, so say the liner notes. Another favorite track is #5 "Amandral" sung in the Temasheck language. The rhythms and sounds of this desert tribe is familiar. They are unforgetable on the CDs, "Festival in the Desert" and "Radio Tisdas Sessions", both of which are highly recommended. As each guitar note is plucked, the feelings of the listener are hooked. The feelings rise ... ever higher in resonance with the melody and mood expressed on the slide, acoustic and bass guitars, drums, calabash, and congas. Without exaggerating, I feel this CD contains some of the finest guitar playing on the planet. Other favorites are: #6, "Lasidan" (#6) which has a peppy, cheerful and upbeat tempo and #7, "Keito", which has musical elements of India and Pakistan or is it the Meditarranean? Ry Cooder plays the tamboura, Ali Farka Toure plucks and strums the electric guitar. There is a syncopated rhythm played on the congas and calabash. The music of Mali is highly distinct and very appealing. It is the best music from Northern Africa, and to this listener, the best from the whole continent of Africa. Erika Borsos (erikab93)