Songhoy Blues – Résistance album review: joyous and colourful grooves

There’s heart galore in both the music and story of these north Malian guitar slingers. Driven out of their homeland by Islamist jihadi hardliners, Garba Touré and his fellow Songhoy youths joined forces in Bamako to create thrilling, colourful desert grooves full of hypnotic swathes and punky, punchy vigour.

Their second album is equally as lively and joyous as their 2015 Music In Exile debut with its irresistible blend of blues, funk, rock and soul.

There are some guests on board for the ride like Iggy Pop (talking about a paucity of pizza on Sahara) and grime star Elf Kid, but there's little in that brace which sticks.

The real gems come when the Songhoy crew start to swing and sculpt their own glory days. Bamako is fired up like the JBs at full pelt, there's brassy devilment powering Dabari and muscular guitar riffs acting as scaffolding on Voter. songhoyblues.com