Baaba Maal: Thoughtful Global Music

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Baaba Maal. courtesy of the artist hide caption

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courtesy of the artist

Baaba Maal.

courtesy of the artist

Though his career stems from modest beginnings, the Senegalese singer, guitarist and percussionist Baaba Maal is one of the most renowned musicians in the world. At a young age, Maal devoted himself to the art, learning from musicians such as his mother; as a singer-songwriter, she encouraged Maal to approach music in a thoughtful way.

After studying music in Dakar and Paris, he began to fuse traditional West African music with reggae, salsa, harp music and popular Western music. Since the release of his first full-length album in 1988, Maal has continually blended multiple styles, influencing a wealth of musicians to follow in his footsteps.

His latest album, Television, is his first studio effort since 2001's Grammy-nominated Missing You; like its predecessor, the disc is turning heads around the globe. The multilingual album introduces subtle plays with electronic dance music, aided in part by New York's Brazilian Girls.