Veteran singer-songwriter Ashley Maher returns with her eighth studio album, “Tree to Tree.” With this album, Maher continues her lifelong mission of fusing Western songwriting with the polyrhythmic fire of West African music.
Recorded entirely in Dakar, Senegal, alongside some of the finest mbalax and jazz musicians from Senegal, Benin, Gabon, Congo, and Côte d’Ivoire, the album stands as a cultural bridge: fiery, intimate, and deeply rooted in collaboration.
The Mbalax-inspired percussion drives the songs with vitality, while jazz-inflected instrumental lines weave in and out, creating a musical backdrop that’s alive with movement. Maher’s voice, expressive and crystalline, is the anchor. She sings with clarity and conviction, carrying lyrics filled with poetic imagery.
You get a taste of this right in the first track, “Music,” a beautiful anthem on the power of music to liberate us and release our burdens. With ethereal instrumentation backed with playful percussion, it sets the mood for an album quite unlike anything you’ve heard before.
The track “American in Dakar” takes inspiration from Sting’s classic, “Englishman in New York,” and puts a Senegalese twist on it. It’s a perfect choice for the concept, as the lyrics reflect Maher’s dual identity as a Western songwriter steeped in African rhythms.
The album closes with “Nenam,” a single that blends Wolof verses into the lyrics, creating a true cultural fusion between America and West Africa. Together with its lyrical intimacy, this single radiates warmth and groove, serving as the perfect ending to the musical experience.
Much of the album’s strength comes from its authenticity. This is not surface-level fusion but a continuation of relationships Maher has cultivated over decades of working in Dakar. The ensemble playing on Tree to Tree reflects that history: it is vibrant, deeply rooted in tradition, and yet flexible enough to embrace Maher’s
Western melodic instincts.
With Tree to Tree, Ashley Maher offers more than an album; she delivers a conversation across borders, a celebration of rhythm and language, and a reminder of how music can connect us all.
https://ashleymaher.com
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