The River (Ali Farka Touré album)

The River is a studio album by Malian singer and multi-instrumentalist Ali Farka Touré. It was recorded in sessions at Studio Bolibana in Paris, and at the London-based Cold Storage Studios and Garden Studios.[1] The album was released by the UK-based World Circuit label and distributed internationally by Mango Records.[2]

The River
Studio album by
ReleasedJanuary 1990
StudioStudio Bolibana in Paris; Cold Storage Studios and Garden Studios in London
GenreBlues[1]
Length66:38
LabelWorld Circuit
ProducerPhilippe Bertrand, Nick Gold
Ali Farka Touré chronology
African Blues
(1990)
The River
(1990)
The Source
(1993)

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic     [1]
The Village VoiceA−[3]

Reviewing the album for The Village Voice, Robert Christgau gave it an A-minus and applauded its attempts to cross over in the form of "tracks colored with harmonica, saxophone, fiddle and bodhran, and the single-stringed njarka that Touré picks up for the finale--not to mention an extra edge of vocal command." Overall, the album offered a "variety, not compromise", that Christgau believed Touré had needed on his earlier recordings, which "drifted into the folkloric".[3] In an interview for Guy Oseary's On the Record (2004), music entrepreneur and record collector Craig Kallman named The River among his 15 favorite records.[4]

Track listing

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  1. "Heygana" – 5:59
  2. "Goydiotodam" – 6:25
  3. "Ai Bine" – 6:21
  4. "Tangambara" – 5:22
  5. "Toungere" – 7:32
  6. "Jungou" – 7:23
  7. "Kenouna" – 5:02
  8. "Boyrei" – 5:23
  9. "Tamala" – 8:06
  10. "Lobo" – 6:44
  11. "Instrumental" – 2:59

Personnel

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References

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  1. ^ a b c "The River". AllMusic. Retrieved 16 October 2018.
  2. ^ "Ali Farka Toure with Ry Cooder." Rhythm Music Magazine: Volume 3-4, Issue 1. p. 56.
  3. ^ a b Christgau, Robert (3 July 1990). "Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. Retrieved 16 October 2018.
  4. ^ Oseary, Guy (2004). On the Record: Over 150 of the Most Talented People in Music Share the Secrets of Their Success. Penguin Books. p. 353. ISBN 978-0142003046.
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