Orchestra Baobab, 'Made in Senegal': the baobab still stands
First studio album since 2017: the Dakar legends blend West African rhythms and Afro-Cuban sound with a new generation and their first frontwoman.
Archive image · Photo: Neodop / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped and resized)
After losing several founding members, among them Balla Sidibé, Rudy Gomis and Barthélemy Attisso, Orchestra Baobab return with 'Made in Senegal' (Strut/Madoky, 23 October 2026), their first studio album since 'Tribute to Ndiouga Dieng' (2017). The twelve songs were recorded in Dakar, led by saxophonist Thierno Koité and Korka Dieng, the band's first frontwoman.
musicOMH awards four stars out of five, singling out 'Casamance', 'Sibo Odia' and 'Baobab 50 Ans'. Reviewer Chris White writes: "Put simply, Orchestra Baobab are African musical royalty." Despite the line-up changes, he finds it musically "business as usual". Bandleader Thierno Koité is quoted by musicOMH: "We are like the tree we are named after. No matter what happens, the baobab stands firm."