As far as "lockdown albums" go, Oumou Sangaré definitely did not go for the "stuck at home with the curtains drawn" vibe. Instead, in a true lemonade-from-lemons move, the Malian singer took the unusual circumstances she found herself in—stuck in the U.S., unable to travel home—and literally made the most of it. Not only did she end up purchasing a house in Baltimore, but she used that very home to write and refine the bulk of Timbuktu. Alongside longtime collaborator Mamadou Sidibé—whose dextrous playing of the kamele n’goni provides a gritty foil for Sangaré's mellifluous singing—the African legend penned nearly a dozen propulsive and poetic songs that veer between optimism, love, and frustration, but never get bogged down in melancholia. Sangaré (and Sidibé) have crafted in Timbuktu an album that's remarkably versatile and exploratory in tone, and whether or not the ambitiousness of the approach was due to the conditions of its genesis or simply the logical result of her four decades of exceptional music-making, the range of expression here is impressive. Gentle and nearly-spare numbers like "Degui N'Kelena" (where the primary interplay is between Sangaré's multi-tracked vocals and Sidibé's stunning fretwork) sit right alongside expansive and dynamic pieces like "Sira," that are as driving and melodic as they are explicitly beautiful. And, while it may have been conceived and revised in relative isolation, most of Timbuktu's songs are filled with an energy like the bouncy, near-funky vibe of "Sarama," whose complex rhythms jell with an easy groove and Sangaré's richly expressive voice. The album rarely delves into pensive atmospheres, but when it does, as in the closing notes of "Sabou Dogoné," the moment of quiet reflection is poignant and potent, with just Sangaré's powerful voice gliding atop a simple, but ethereal arrangement of delicate choral figures and ambient filigree. It's a beautiful closure on an engaging and commanding album that's far more dynamic and far-reaching than the circumstances that led to its creation. © Jason Ferguson/Qobuz