Description
There is no question that ‘Anoura’ by Anansy Cissé is a work of inspiration with its prime influence coming from the desert blues music of West Africa.
The story of Anansy Cissé and the recording of this new album is a dramatic one. Its predecessor, ‘Mali Overdrive’ arrived in 2014 but in the intervening years there have been considerable ups and downs. Ironically, on the way to appear with his band at a 2018 Malian peace and reconciliation festival, they were attacked by an armed group, beaten up and their instruments broken. The incident drove him away from performing live to work in his studio and record various local artists.
It’s hard to imagine how one would feel in a world turned upside down like Mali but its impact on Anansy Cissé was to turn him lyrically from political perspectives to the social elements of day-to-day family life. Sung completely in the Songhai language, ts traditional acoustic style recalls West African blues masters such Ali Farka Touré or Boubacar Traoré but the electric guitar solo that punctuates the song comes straight out of the world of rock. This approach is typical of what you find across the record with tradition overlaid with modern styles. Drawing inspiration from the tumultuous upheaval in his homeland, Anansy offers a positive message in these songs of love, respect and hope for better times ahead.
