Doctor’s Orders: Bab L’Bluz prescribe their nine favourite albums
Since the dawn of time, the continent of Africa has repreatedly proven itself to be a hotbed of compelling music and artistic expression. From the age-old sounds of Malian Kora to the defiant jazz of apartheid-era South Africa, the land has played host to some timeless and truly groundbreaking artists. One of the most exciting artists to emerge from the continent in recent years has been Bab L’Bluz, who formed in Marrakesh, Morocco, back in 2018.
With a core sound built upon an endlessly broad range of influences, Bab L’Bluz have created a sound like no other. Indebted to the sounds of blues and psychedelic rock, the group also owe a lot to the musical history and traditions of West and North Africa.
In particular, Bab L’Bluz have proven themselves as devotees of Gnawa and Chaâbi music, both of which have roots going back hundreds of years in Morocco. As a result, their music is awash with a deep sense of identity and history while retaining the infectious and mind-expanding nature of modern blues and psychedelia.
Keen to discover more about this rich musical history and the band’s eclectic music taste, I sat down with band members Yousra Mansour and Brice Bottin to dig deep into their favourite albums of all time ahead of their first headline tour of the United Kingdom, which saw them take over The Jazz Cafe in London, before heading north. Speaking of the glorious land of northern England, my interview with the band hit a slight hitch early on when my Yorkshire accent struggled to translate for Mansour and Bottin – I can’t imagine what they came up against when they visited Glasgow on the first night of the tour.
“It’s a good step forward for the band to be to perform in such great venues,” Mansour shared of the headline tour. “When we started, we didn’t think that one day we’d be performing in such beautiful, nice venues.” Despite having their roots in Morocco and France, Bab L’Bluz certainly have a history in the UK, too.
“We used to record in England,” Bottin told me. “We had the chance to have big support from BBC Radio. We tour a lot in Europe, even in the US, but not so much in Great Britain. So it’s a big pleasure to come here and meet the people. I hope it will be a nice party.”
Their tour of the UK acts as a good indicator for how rapidly Bab L’Bluz are progressing as a group, captivating audiences across the globe with their unique sound. So, without further adieu, let us delve deeper into the influences and musical loves of the band, as Mansour and Bottin prescribe nine essential albums for your listening pleasure.
Bab L’Bluz prescribe their nine favourite albums:
Fairuz – Good Friday Eastern Sacred Songs (1967)
Starting off an incredibly strong note, Mansour selects a standout work from legendary Lebanese vocalist Fairuz. Reflecting the singer’s mixed Christian and Syriac Orthodox upbringing, the 1967 album sees her perform a variety of religious songs in the Arabic language. “This album, for me, is a beautiful one, because I discovered it a couple of years ago, but I used to listen to Fairuz since I was very young,” Mansour revealed.
“I think it’s beautiful because it’s like mixing the Christian culture and the Arab world,” the vocalist continued. “There is a community of Christian people in the Arab world, and they used to live in peace with Muslims, and they still live in peace with Muslims, and I think it’s like bringing people together. It doesn’t matter where they are, what is their religion or their thoughts and beliefs, but it’s like music is a universal language.”
Bob Marley – Survival (1979)
From one iconic vocalist and activist to another, Bottin kept the train rolling by discussing his adoration of Bob Marley. “I want to choose one Bob Marley album,” he declared, debating whether the 1980 ‘Tuff Gong’ rehearsal tape counts as a full album or not. Eventually, the multi-instrumentalist and producer selected Marley’s militant Pan-African masterpiece, Survival. “I will choose Survival,” he said. “It’s a big, big, big album for me.”
Explaining the appeal and importance of Marley’s record, which calls for solidarity between all African nations, Bottin shared, “It’s like an anthem of unity, African unity, and resistance, but it’s for all over the world.” Indeed, the 1979 album did bring increased attention to the African continent, reflecting Marley’s all-encompassing influence during that period. “You can be amazed and touched by the lyrics, and as a producer, all the mixing and arrangements, for me, it’s a big reference. Voila.”
Big Brother and the Holding Company – Cheap Thrills (1968)
In addition to Pan-African rhythms and instrumentation, Bab L’Bluz are also heavily influenced by blues and psychedelic rock, so it should come as no real surprise that Yousra Mansour is an ardent devotee of hippie queen Janis Joplin. So, for her next pick, the performer went for Big Brother’s seminal record, Cheap Thrills. “I don’t know the whole album,” she admitted, “but two of the songs on the album were like my mum’s best ones, and I used to listen to them while I was young, at summertime.”
Highlighting the undisputed stand-out of the album, she continued, “In ‘Another Piece of My Heart,’ I think there is a healing process through their music because it’s very deep, and at the same time, Janis’s voice has something very special. It’s communicating such suffering and pain. But at the same time, there is a positive impact in this voice, like you can heal yourself through the tone of her voice, literally. So, I think it’s good therapy to listen to that album.”
Rage Against The Machine – <em>Renegades</em> (2000)
On to sonic therapy of different intensity, Bottin held up an LP of Renegades, the fourth and final Rage Against the Machine album, originally released back in 2000. No band summed up the American rock sound of the 1990s quite like Rage, and their politically charged anthems remain depressingly relevant to this day. For Bottin, his love of this album goes back to his childhood. “It’s the first album I bought when I was, I don’t know, maybe ten,” he said.
“It’s a cover album, but when I was younger, I didn’t know it was a cover album. I like it a lot. Great covers of The MC5, The Stooges, covers of Cypress Hill. I like the production.” A huge part of the album’s appeal seemed to come from its diverse influences, which culminated in an expansive sound for Rage. “It’s a great album for me because it’s rock, but it’s even funk,” Bottin shared. “It’s a mix of funk polyrhythm but with a heavy sound, and I like the riffs and the mojo on this album.”
Ali Farka Touré – The River (1990)
Keeping their album picks as diverse as their music, the next album selected by Bab L’Bluz comes from the legendary Malian blues artist Ali Farka Touré, who was instrumental in establishing the sounds of desert blues and bringing Malian folk music into the modern age. He sadly passed away in 2006, but his impact can still be felt through the music of groups like Tinariwen, Mdou Moctar, and, of course, Bab L’Bluz.
Highlighting his 1990 offering The River, Mansour explained, “I think it’s one of the most amazing records I’ve ever listened to. I think there is a strong relation between this music and the Gnawa music and also some Moroccan music.”
Continuing, “It’s simple, acoustic, joyful and authentic.”
“I used to listen to this record while I was running, actually. Normally, people listen to very hard stuff, but I think this is a perfect record for playing sports, especially running or walking a long distance.” An unlikely addition to a running playlist, but then it is difficult to think of an occasion that couldn’t be improved by the sounds of Ali Farka Touré.
Mahmoud Guinia – Festival D’Essaouira (uknown)
Going into this interview, I knew that the band would throw some curveballs into their selection, and this Mahmoud Guinia release certainly fits that bill. A leading figure in Moroccan Gnawa music and a master of the guembri, Guinia released countless groundbreaking records over the course of his life. However, the one that Bottin selects as a favourite is a live recording from a performance at Festival D’Essaouira, a Gnawa music festival held annually in Morocco.
Holding up the cassette tape to the camera, Bottin said, “I think we have to choose one CD from the great Gnawa master called Mahmoud Guinia, but I think you can’t find that – it’s a cassette. You can’t find it on the internet. But for me, it’s one of his great performances, a lot of great songs.”
Adding, “He’s got a crazy voice and a way of playing his guembri. He’s like the Jimi Hendrix guembri.”
Fatoumata Diawara – Fatou (2011) / Oum – Soul of Morocco (2013)
We don’t typically allow for diversions from the strict nine-album format of this interview series, but Mansour’s justification for combining two modern African albums into one entry was much too passionate and important to dispute. Highlighting Malian singer-songwriter Fatoumata Diawara and Moroccan artist Oum, she spoke beautifully about the cultural impact of the pair. “It’s a powerful feminine image, especially for African women,” she shared.
“I grew up in Morocco and was raised in Morocco, and you can really feel that it’s a patriarchal society, where our rights and freedom are really controlled. It’s difficult to choose a path of art or to choose anything in life,” the vocalist continued. “So when I heard the Fatoumata and Soul of Morocco, I was amazed to see African women leading and coming out this way, showing this power, showing this authenticity, and showing this freedom.”
Speaking on the inspirational quality of these records, the Bab L’Bluz vocalist said, “Both these records are records of hope and the hope that they gave to the next generation. At the same time, they kept the beauty of the culture. They kept this relation to the culture. They express their anger and their will for freedom and of fighting for their rights, while maintaining their strong connection to their roots, which is hard to do, so big respect for these ladies.”
Curtis Mayfield – Curtis (1970)
Adding a little soul into proceedings, the next album on the agenda comes from the undisputed titan of Chicago funk and soul, Curtis Mayfield. Like many of the artists featured in this article, Mayfield boasts an extensive discography made up of iconic records, but his 1970 debut, Curtis, is an undeniable stand-out. Featuring tracks like ‘Miss Black America’, ‘(Don’t Worry) If There’s a Hell Below, We’re All Going to Go’, and ‘Move On Up’, it was this record which established Mayfield on the global soul stage.
“I love all the album,” said Bottin. “it’s very – comment dit – it’s like cinematical. It’s a masterpiece.” As with the majority of his picks thus far, the musician was quick to highlight he brilliance of the album’s production, as well as the musical performances. “All the arrangements, Curtis Mayfield is a crazy talented songwriter and singer and guitarist and all the production,” he explained. “I can listen to the album from the beginning to the end very easily, and it makes me feel happy and sad at the same time.” Such is the power of Mr Mayfield.
Jimi Hendrix – Band of Gypsys (1970)
After a brief mention of Jimi Hendrix earlier in the interview, Bab L’Bluz could not conclude the interview without espousing their deep-rooted love and respect for the greatest guitar hero of all time. Few, if any, rock artists are free from the inspiration of Hendrix; he changed the landscape of rock and psychedelia forever, and while endlessly imitated, his quality and passion have never truly been replicated. For their final pick, the pair selected the 1970 live album Band of Gypsys as a notable favourite.
“Underline the ‘Machine Gun’ performance because, for me, it’s a crazy performance,” Bottin shared, shining a light on Hendrix’s anti-war masterpiece. “I think it’s a 12-minute track, but it’s amazing. It’s against the Vietnam War. You can hear the bullets with his guitars and the dive bombs. I think this performance is very iconic, very emotional and the political message – even though it was in the ‘70s – in 2025 it’s important to, with music, to try to fight all the political shit; they want us to be apart.”
Concurring, Mansour shared, “Hendrix is a great source of inspiration. I think our music was based also on this inspiration. It’s very important in our first and second record, and our musical journey.” Wherever that musical journey will take the band next remains to be revaled but, as we have seen, the band boast an incredible record collection to accompany them on that journey.
