Made In Senegal is the first new studio album from Orchestra Baobab since Tribute To Ndiouga Dieng in 2017, and it arrives on Strut this Friday, October 23. Strut is releasing it together with Madoky Music, and the band recorded the whole thing in Dakar. For a group that started more than 50 years ago as the house band of the Baobab Club in the Senegalese capital, that detail matters: this is a home record from one of the great live bands on the planet.
A new line-up, the same groove
Baobab built its name on a blend of Afro-Cuban rhythm, Wolof griot tradition, mbalax, Congolese rumba and jazz, and Made In Senegal keeps that blend while handing the mic to new voices. Several founding members have passed over the last decade, so sons, nephews and longtime collaborators now carry the band. Saxophonist Thierno Koité leads, with Taga Koité on drums, Moussa Cissokho on percussion, Yahya Fall on rhythm guitar, Malick Sy on bass, René "Bolero" Sowatche on guitar and Wilfrid Zinzou on sax and trombone. Up front are Zacharia "Papino" Koité and Korka Dieng, the first female frontwoman in the band's history.
That last part is a real shift. Baobab spent decades as a showcase for male singers trading lines over the horns, so hearing Korka Dieng take the lead gives the record a fresh edge without breaking the spell. Thierno Koité sums up the attitude in Strut's notes: "We are like the tree we are named after. No matter what happens, the baobab stands firm."
Twelve songs, one tribute
The lead single, "Togne Bakhoul," was composed by the late Baobab vocalist Rudy Gomis as an ode to his wife, so the first song most people hear from this album carries a direct line to the band's past. "Tioro Bye Samba" reimagines a classic by Thione Seck. "Casamance" celebrates the southern Senegalese region that several members call home, and "Baobab 50 Ans" marks fifty years of this group on stage.
The full sequence runs "Ana Maria," "Tioro Bye Samba," "Souvenir," "Togne Bakhoul," "Sibo Odia," "Wuti Xaliss," "Ndiaga Niaw," "Casamance," "Wida," "Baobab 50 Ans," "Gorgorlou" and "Senegal." Twelve tracks, recorded in the city that made them, with a horn section and guitar team that still sound like they are playing to a full room at two in the morning.
Formats and preorders
Strut has the album up for preorder as a single LP, a limited Strut exclusive expanded 2LP, CD and digital. The expanded double vinyl is the one collectors will chase, since it is only sold through the label. You can preorder on the Strut Bandcamp, through the Strut store or from the label's streaming and store links. The cover shows the band walking in front of a monumental sculpture under a clear blue sky, which tells you everything about the mood: proud, sunlit and unbothered by time.
Our call
This one is Surfacing. A legendary Dakar band with a new frontwoman, a love song from a late member and a full album recorded at home is the kind of release that brings new listeners in and sends old fans back to the classics. Play "Togne Bakhoul" now and lock in the expanded 2LP before Friday.
If this sends you digging, our Light in the Attic starter guide and Blue Note starter guide are good next stops. For the setup, see our best turntables for beginners and gifts for record collectors.
Preorder on Bandcamp · Strut store · Listen and buy · Strut Records
