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Bitter taste

1615¬Poor old Sugababes are challenging for our all-time lowest album rating (JLS since you ask). They're on 3.2 so far for their Sweet 7 album¬True¬

Middle of the road

1613¬Moderate reviews so far for the Scottish AOR pop rock singer-songwriter. Into the chart with a 5.8¬True¬

Glad tidings

1603¬A set of mainly very positive early reviews for the 60s-influenced psych-rock / krautrock and blues debut from the first English band signed to Jagjaguwar¬True¬

Sufi so good

1607¬The LA post-hip hop rapper's "hallucinogenic head-nod" album meanders gently into the chart with a batch of strong reviews¬True¬

Playlist Archive

Those we have loved (or quite liked anyway)

9¬False¬
Ali And Toumani

Ali Farka Toure & Toumani Diabate

Ali And Toumani

Final posthumous release of the acclaimed guitarist teamed with his fellow Malian kora player

Critics average rating

8.4

Label
World Circuit
Release date
22/02/2010
  1. 10.0 |  Observer Music Monthly

    Print edition only

  2. 10.0 |  The List

    ...the chiming of the kora over Ali’s potent guitar with Cuban veteran Orlando Cachaíto López on bass creates a final statement of some perfection
    Read Review

  3. 10.0 |  Daily Telegraph

    There is a sense of both immense space and telepathic closeness on this beautiful album, with the superb recording putting the listener right in the middle of the action
    Read Review

  4. 10.0 |  The Guardian

    This is a magnificent and poignant farewell
    Read Review

  5. 9.0 |  music OMH

    ...this album and its predecessor are worthy and awe-inspiring tributes to the man and the Malian musical traditions for which he and Diabaté were - and continue to be - the strongest and most compelling of standard-bearers
    Read Review

  6. 9.0 |  The Irish Times

    ...this music stands outside genre. It is music of a higher order
    Read Review

  7. 9.0 |  Pop Matters

    This is a deep, darkly beautiful work. The interplay between these two men is exceedingly rare in any type of music. Ali and Toumani is profound and powerful, with a soft accumulating force, like the individual drips of ice that form a river
    Read Review

  8. 8.3 |  Pitchfork

    You get the feel of two of the world's greatest musicians in a room together, having a conversation and creating a document that will carry their legacy into the future
    Read Review

  9. 8.0 |  Mojo

    What's truly remarkable about the interplay is the way the two seamlessly bridge the gulf between their cultures. Print edition only

  10. 8.0 |  Q

    The 11 tracks weave a blinding spell that feels just as familiar to Western ears as African. Print edition only

  11. 8.0 |  Uncut

    Aside from being an album of spellbinding beauty ... is also a posthumous valediction to Touré and an affirmation that from Mali there is surely much more to come. Print edition only

  12. 8.0 |  The Observer

    Ali and Toumani doesn't pick up quite where In the Heart of the Moon left off...a more polished affair, with retakes and overdubs
    Read Review

  13. 8.0 |  Evening Standard

    Whereas that first disc seemed improvised and spontaneous, this is carefully worked out to show the range of Ali's style
    Read Review

  14. 8.0 |  The Times

    Some reviews have argued that Diabaté, the younger partner, has here stepped out of the shadow of (and reduced his deference to) the guitarist, but to these ears this is the older man’s album
    Read Review

  15. 8.0 |  Independent on Sunday

    A lovely monument
    Read Review

  16. 6.0 |  The Independent

    Although most tunes follow traditional lines, "Sabu Yerkoy" has a subtle Cuban flavour, while "Be Mankan" is a gorgeous waltz
    Read Review

  17. 6.0 |  The Sunday Times

    ...a sequence of ruminative and, to be frank, sometimes repetitive instrumentals, recorded in 2005 and leavened with a vocal or two
    Read Review

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Driving force

1620¬The long-serving Georgia riffmasters are on the verge of making a decent chart showing with their 8th album of Southern rock¬True¬

Mexican waves

1617¬General approval for this concept album about the Mexican-American war from the legendary Irish folkies and equally legendary guitarist¬True¬

Making his mark

1604¬Orcadian folk artist Kris Drever gets a 6.6 rating on his entry into the chart with his second solo album¬True¬

Past masters

1614¬As expected, the compilation from one of the most influential indie rock bands of recent years is into the Compilation & Reissues chart with a big score¬True¬

Wake up call

1611¬First batch of reviews for the London trio's shoegaze debut are very encouraging¬True¬

Early warning

1612¬Just about to make an impact on the chart is the 2nd album of minimal indie pop with jazz & electronica overtones from the Oregon duo¬True¬

Self help

1602¬The erstwhile nu-ravers have grown up, self-released and self-produced their 2nd album, and reviewers are mostly in favour¬True¬