Talking Timbuktu
| Talking Timbuktu | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by Ali Farka Touré with Ry Cooder | ||||
| Released | March 29, 1994 | |||
| Recorded | Sep 1993 | |||
| Genre | Malian folk | |||
| Length | 59:59 | |||
| Label | World Circuit | |||
| Producer | Ry Cooder | |||
| Ali Farka Touré with Ry Cooder chronology | ||||
| ||||
Talking Timbuktu is the 1994 collaboration album between Malian guitarist Ali Farka Touré and American guitarist/producer Ry Cooder. The guitar riff from the song "Diaraby" was selected for the Geo-quiz segment of The World PRI-BBC radio program and was retained by popular demand when put to a vote by the listeners. In 2009, the album was awarded a gold certification from the Independent Music Companies Association which indicated sales of at least 100,000 copies throughout Europe.[1]
Reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [2] |
| Music Week | [3] |
The album features in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die and received the Grammy Award for Best World Music album of 1994.
Track listing
- "Bonde" (Peul) – 5:28
- "Soukora" (Bambara) – 6:05
- "Gomni" (Songhai) – 7:00
- "Sega" (Peul) – 3:10
- "Amandrai" (Tamasheck) – 9:22
- "Lasidan" (Bambara) – 6:06
- "Keito" (Songhai) – 5:42
- "Banga" (Songhai) – 2:32
- "Ai Du" (Songhai) – 7:09
- "Diaraby" (Bambara) – 7:25
(Languages listed in parentheses after each title, as credited in the album liner notes)
Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United States | — | 238,000[4] |
References
- ^ "color". www.impalamusic.org. Archived from the original on August 24, 2017.
- ^ Talking Timbuktu at AllMusic
- ^ Jones, Alan (April 2, 1994). "Market Preview: Mainstream - Albums" (PDF). Music Week. p. 13. Retrieved April 28, 2025.
- ^ "World's greatest". Billboard. June 16, 2007. Retrieved April 28, 2018.