Metascore
81

Universal acclaim - based on 9 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 8 out of 9
  2. Negative: 0 out of 9
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  1. Mojo
    Apr 22, 2015
    80
    Dark, minatory rhythms underpin stark lyrics telling of hard times in the north of Mali. [May 2015, p.95]
  2. The Wire
    Mar 11, 2015
    80
    The tempo is seldom above a crawl, and Toure's guitar weaves a crackling bed of thorns that even the typically crystalline over-production can't completely smooth out. [Mar 2015, p.59]
  3. Feb 20, 2015
    80
    The flawless tracks on Gandadiko roll together with the ease of a musician at his best. The resilient message of Samba's lyrics in the face of adversity is ably backed up by the sonic power of the music with a confident hypnotic flow throughout.
  4. Feb 12, 2015
    80
    The music is mature and confident, with Touré’s quietly commanding voice matched against insistent bass riffs and guitar work that echoes his one-time mentor Ali Farka Touré, but with a dash of funk and Bo Diddley thrown in. Impressive.
  5. Uncut
    Feb 10, 2015
    80
    Samba Toure's fourth album in five years rocks as hard as any African record we've heard. [Mar 2015, p.83]
  6. Feb 9, 2015
    80
    It’s hypnotic in and of itself, and all impressions are purely in the ears/mind of the listener.
  7. Feb 9, 2015
    80
    It feels engaged and defiant, but perhaps more inward looking than the inevitably direct political feeling behind Albala.
  8. Feb 9, 2015
    70
    The land may not currently be fertile in terms of crops but it certainly is in artistry, as there is a wild eclecticism and experimentalism here that touches the soul.
  9. Feb 9, 2015
    60
    For the most part, this album of amiable desert blues lacks the fire that lit up its predecessor.

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