Heritage

From the first listening to 'Héritage', the much-awaited fourth album by Songhoy Blues, it is clear that the four-piece rock band from northern Mali are in a new frame of mind. With 'Héritage', they move into a more acoustic, creative re-imagining of the 'desert blues' style that has brought them to world fame. The Songhoy are an ethnicity living along the bend of the Niger river in northern Mali (their language is Songhai, hence the two spellings that are often used interchangeably). Songhoy music is one of the backbones of the 'desert blues' sound. Songhoy Blues pay tribute to some of the great musicians of the past, whose work continues to inspire them, giving 'a big thank you to the ancestors who bequeathed works of art so that future generations could orient themselves'.