British folk rock band Mumford & Sons recently released their new single, “There Will Be Time”, this month, and subsequently performed it live in South Africa. The single is a collaborative track with Baaba Maal, a Senegalese singer-guitarist who is one of the most famous musicians in Senegal. This January, he released his new album The Traveller, his eleventh studio album of his career. The album was recorded with Mumford & Sons and led Maal to tour throughout the UK and headline the Senegal’s Festival Blues Du Fleuve. As of now, Baaba Maal is touring with Mumford & Sons across South Africa on their Gentlemen of the Road tour, where they performed “There Will Be Time” live.
Mumford & Sons released their third studio album Wilder Mind just last year, with great success as result. The band announced just last week that their next studio album, Johannesburg, is set to release June 17th. The album is the result of the live records of their Gentlemen of the Road tour, from performances that happened in Johannesburg, South Africa. It will have five tracks, including “There Will Be Time”, which reached #1 in South Africa almost immediately.
Johannesburg features collaborations with not only Baaba Maal but also with The Very Best (a Malawi-based music collaboration) and Beatenburg. The album was recorded over two all-day and all-night sessions in Johannesburg intending to stick to the roots of South Africa while also showcasing Mumford and Sons’ trademark sounds. Since the release of Wilder Mind, Mumford & Sons has been on a worldwide tour until ending up in South Africa for an extended period of time, leading up to their collaborative album.
Listen to the live version of “There Will Be Time” below: