Tinariwen - Amassakoul

With their enthralling mix of sounds that are both exotic and familiar, Tinariwen are the world music find of the year. This band is an unlikely story in itself, at least to the Western mindset - made up of members of the Touareg people of North Africa who sing in their native tongue, Tamascheck, but have added bluesy electric guitars and bass to their traditional music. Thus we have a sound like John Lee Hooker laying it down in the Sahara. And from what I understand, Tinariwen also have a political aspect to their story, as they apparently had to flee their homeland in the nation of Mali, due to government oppression, and ended up based in Algeria and France. Thus their music has a true revolutionary wisdom that American rockers could only dream of. The songs on this disc are relentlessly unique and fascinating. "Oualahila ar Tesninam" really rocks out with swinging delta blues licks and sparse desert percussion, while the emotional "Chet Boghassa" adds airy and arid acoustic guitars. "Arawan" is highly haunting with minimalist strumming and eerily mumbled vocals, while "Aldhechen Manin" has a sinuous bass-driven groove that is distantly related to reggae, possibly by way of West Africa. A further surprise is the guitar-less "Assoul," consisting only of throat-singing cantorial vocals and creepy flute. An added bonus is the CD booklet, containing poems in English that either represent or directly translate Tinariwen's lyrics. The words accompanying the music are absolutely stirring, and one of my favorite lines is also the title of this review. Watch for Tinariwen to top a lot of "best world music" lists this year.