Check out Amadou & Miriam's new album "FOLILA"
On Folila, Amadou & Mariam join forces with an international cast of musicians to further expand their heady blend of African and Western musical modes. The husband and wife have gained fame for creatively fusing sounds from their native Mali with rock and R&B elements. Their latest album is less a radical departure than a confirmation of how universal their music has become. Nick Zinner of Yeah Yeah Yeahs holds a fiery guitar summit with Amadou on “Dougou Badia,” a seething track also featuring Santigold's hypnotic vocals. Mariam’s stirring voice is counterpointed by the lighter tones of Scissor Sister Jake Shears on the churning “Metemya.” “Wily Kataso” enlists Tunde Adebimpe and Kyp Malone of TV on the Radio to create a bouncy yet relentless groove with dub overtones, while “Oh Amadou” achieves a swirling incantatory quality with help from Noir Desir’s Bertrand Cantat. More traditionally West African in feel are sweet, sparse tracks like “Cherie” and “Sans Toi.” Amadou & Mariam bring an enraptured authority to their work, weaving rhythmic spells with palpable emotion that speaks beyond the confines of language.