Welcome to Mali

African superstars Amadou & Mariam release their new album, Welcome to Mali through Because Music. The new album features Damon Albarn as guest producer on the opening track, plus special guest appearances by Keziah Jones, "M", Tiken Jah Fakoli, Toumani Diabate and Juan Rozoff. The album was recorded over the past twelve months in Bamako, Dakar, Paris and London and was produced by their long-time manager and artistic director Marc-Antoine Moreau and Lauren Jais who, together with Manu Chao, were co-producers of Dimanche à Bamako.

Welcome to Mali expands their horizons and yet remains true to their core sound, putting the spotlight firmly back on their unique mix of sweet melodies and funky rhythms, driven by Amadou's bluesy guitar and the duo's compelling voices. The album's opening track, and first single, "Sabali," is the couple as you've never heard them before, an extraordinary mix of Albarn's ethereal keyboards, Mariam's haunting voice and a timeless Africa-goes-global vibe.