After being forced from his hometown Goundam, Mali, in 2012 due to political unrest and a ban on music, Mamadou Kelly returned home and on September 17, 2013, released Adibar, a new album that in just its creation reflects the peace that has come to Mali.
Known as a “blues guitarist,” Kelly, with Adibar, is a story-teller who paints a picture of beautiful simplicity with his parable-like songs. Calling Kelly’s music “blues” doesn’t begin to describe his themes or his sound in their totality but it’s a great start. In his soft, lilting voice, Kelly calls for understanding and tolerance in “Mahindjene” and advises young women not to judge a man by what he owns in “Senon Men.” Universal themes of working hard and doing your best are found throughout the album but particularly in “Adounian” and “Goue Ini Bongosse,” one of the more faster tempo songs on the album.
In collaboration with Alpha Ousmane Sankare (on calabash) and Brehima Hama Cisse (on ndjarka and djourkel – fiddle/violin), Kelly has created an album just as full of the sounds of African stringed instruments as it is filled with optimism, hope, and calls for peace.