Amadou & Mariam make Afropop come alive
Paradise, Boston, June 6, 2009
Reviewed by Jeffrey B. Remz
It wasn't until the ninth song of the set that Amadou & Mariam, the blind couple from Mali who make Afropop come alive, played a song that wasn't on their new disc, "Welcome to Mali."
Yes, the CD has been out for a few months, but relying so heavily on new songs - they would end up playing 11 of 15 songs from the CD - could have been a tough sell for fans. However, that was not the case for the sold-out crowd from the get go.
Afropop, which merges African sounds with Western music, is a joyous sounding music ipso facto. Who ever heard of dull Afrobeat music? Amadou & Mariam, who shot to a much higher profile with 2005's "Dimanche A Bamako," keep the beat moving starting with the title track of "Welcome to Mali."
Amadou Bagayoko, who gave music lessons at the Institute for Young Blind People in Bamako, Mali to Mariam Doumbia, (she later became his wife), takes most of the lead vocals and also plays guitar. Most songs were in French with I Follow You, entirely in English.
Amadou proved to be a better singer than his wife. The low point was her thin falsetto vocals on Sabali, ("Patience") where she missed a slew of notes. But that was about the only negative of the 95-minute show with her vocals sounding fine the rest of the way.
The very lively Ce N'est Pas Bon, railed against hypocrisy, demagogy, dictatorship, corrupt men and schemers in politics. Other songs dealt with socio-economic themes, including support of marriage and being fair in commerce.
Amadou and Mariam altered the sound enough to avoid repetition setting in. Percussion often took over, particularly as the night wore on. On Realite, the dreadlocked percussionist set the beat with the band then repeating his musical phrases. The interplay was a little different and a lot of fun.
Amadou also was a sharp guitarist, adding stinging, sharp short runs. Keyboardist Igor spiced up the songs, while the drummer also helped anchor one-half of a very sturdy rhythm section. The bassist proved exceptional at setting the beat, a requisite for Afrobeat. And more a visual highlight than a musical one were two back-up vocalists. Decked out in matching black and white outfits, the women engaged in sometimes wild dance moves, often in unison, adding vigor to the show.
Amadou & Mariam, who open seven shows for Coldplay in July, play the kind of music where the listener would have to work awfully hard to stand still no matter how familiar the music sounds. No wonder the crowd was in rapturous applause when Dimanche A Bamako closed the evening out.
