The Amadou & Mariam song "Sabali" has grabbed a lot of attention as the opening track to their recent Nonesuch release, Welcome to Mali. Produced by Blur/Gorrillaz front man Damon Albarn, the song is listed among "the most intriguing tracks" this week, according to USA Today music critic Steve Jones, for the couple's ability to deftly "blend in hip-hop and electronic rhythms" with Mariam's vocals. Read more at usatoday.com.

RCRD LBL has chosen a remix of the track by Paul Epworth as its MP3 of the Day. "'Sabali,' is every bit the electro-pop miracle," says the site, citing Epworth's twist on the song's "key arpeggios and Mariam's soulful vocal turns." The song is available for download today only at rcrdlbl.com.

Amadou & Mariam are also featured in yesterday's episode of WNYC's Soundcheck, in which the show's host, John Schaeffer, spoke with New York Times writer Will Hermes about the changing sounds and perceptions of African music in a more diverse world. "Western music has demonstrated its global reach in countless ways," says Soundcheck in its introduction to the episode, "and in recent years this has been particularly pronounced in the sounds of Africa. Groups like Amadou & Mariam ... blend electro-pop and urban dance forms." Hermes wrote an extensive piece in the Times last month about that very subject; you can read more about both it and a related article in the Los Angeles Times in the Nonesuch Journal. Listen to the Soundcheck episode at wnyc.org.