Amadou & Mariam: Remixes

iTunes Review

The blind Malian duo of guitarist/vocalist Amadou Bagayoko and vocalist Mariam Doumbia — who are also husband and wife — have been playing together since the early ‘80s. They fuse local elements with rock and other styles to create African–rooted pop with global appeal. 2011’s Remixes draws its source material from albums such as Wati (2003), Dimanche à Bamako (2005), and Welcome to Mali (2009). It opens with Bob Sinclar’s charged version of “Africa,” which features the Somali-Canadian MC K’NAAN. The remix is fairly straightforward, but its pumped-up beats point it toward the dance floor. Akon brings a sense of swing to “Coulibaly,” which also finds the Senegalese-American hip-hop artist on the mic; the Barbadian-Brit Ashley Beedle’s take on the same song has fluttering guitar decorations and drums that tumble. Remixes includes three interpretations of “Sabali,” Amadou and Mariam’s catchy hit from Welcome to Mali. Grey X Sage’s take spotlights the lover-man rapping of Theophilus London; Vitalic’s version brings out the song’s neo-‘80s sense of grandeur and rhythm; and Miike Snow’s reworking closes things out.