In the decade and a half since their North American "breakthrough" LP, Aman Iman: Water Is Life, Tinariwen has earned a reputation as "musicians' musicians." The sextet's incredible musical acumen and resilient backstory have attracted high-profile fans, from Flea to Robert Plant. This level of adoration has led to the group collaborating with a gaggle of musicians over their past four albums. While many would assume this has given Tinariwen a Western slant on their brand of "desert blues," it has, in fact, produced the opposite effect. The long-standing Tuareg collective's shaggy and raw musical approach can be heard in the works of their former collaborators, including Cass McCombs, Josh Klinghoffer, and Kurt Vile.
After hearing Daniel Lanois remix their 2016 track "Adounia Ti Chidjret," Jack White invited Tinariwen to his Nashville studio to record their next LP alongside Lanois and a handful of country artists. With the pandemic stalling the sessions, the group opted to record in Algeria, sending recordings to Lanois in the United States. Pairing down their collaborators to bluegrass musician Wes Corbett and Jack White side-person Fats Kaplan, Amatssou still comes off as Tinariwen's most sonically varied affair. Across 12 tracks, the Tuareg musicians mix their rich fusion of rock and blues with raucous Americana. Demonstrating just how seasoned they've become, Tinariwen's ninth LP seamlessly combines drawling banjo, sooty fiddle and Lanois' moody production, all while sounding wholly like themselves.
Twangy opening track "Kek Alghalm" perfectly showcases the group's musical absorption, as guitarist/vocalist Ibrahim Ag Alhabib lays down a sandpaper delivery over Corbett's countrypolitan fingerpicking. Kaplan's raga-like fiddle gives the upbeat "Tenere Den" a propulsive bed for Alhassane Ag Touhami, Abdallah Ag Alhousseyni, and Elaga Ag Hamid to roll out wandering and adventurous guitar work. "Tidjit" stands as the album's most playful number, adding rhythmic handclaps to a rubbery rhythm from bassist Eyadou Ag Leche and percussionist Said Ag Ayad.
The djembe bounce of "Imidiwan Mahitinam" and the downright groovy "Anemouhagh" come awfully close to dance numbers, thanks to the quartet of vocalists' buoyant singalongs. Picking up from 2019's Amadjar, Tinariwen establish a new penchant for patient, sprawling soundscapes, best demonstrated by five-minute-plus tracks like the aching "Jayche Atarak" and the shuffling "Nak Idnizdjam."
On Amatssou, Tinariwen adds to their amazing range and melodic flexibilities through collaboration, allowing some of their biggest admirers into their majestic, fully realized world.
(Wedge Records)After hearing Daniel Lanois remix their 2016 track "Adounia Ti Chidjret," Jack White invited Tinariwen to his Nashville studio to record their next LP alongside Lanois and a handful of country artists. With the pandemic stalling the sessions, the group opted to record in Algeria, sending recordings to Lanois in the United States. Pairing down their collaborators to bluegrass musician Wes Corbett and Jack White side-person Fats Kaplan, Amatssou still comes off as Tinariwen's most sonically varied affair. Across 12 tracks, the Tuareg musicians mix their rich fusion of rock and blues with raucous Americana. Demonstrating just how seasoned they've become, Tinariwen's ninth LP seamlessly combines drawling banjo, sooty fiddle and Lanois' moody production, all while sounding wholly like themselves.
Twangy opening track "Kek Alghalm" perfectly showcases the group's musical absorption, as guitarist/vocalist Ibrahim Ag Alhabib lays down a sandpaper delivery over Corbett's countrypolitan fingerpicking. Kaplan's raga-like fiddle gives the upbeat "Tenere Den" a propulsive bed for Alhassane Ag Touhami, Abdallah Ag Alhousseyni, and Elaga Ag Hamid to roll out wandering and adventurous guitar work. "Tidjit" stands as the album's most playful number, adding rhythmic handclaps to a rubbery rhythm from bassist Eyadou Ag Leche and percussionist Said Ag Ayad.
The djembe bounce of "Imidiwan Mahitinam" and the downright groovy "Anemouhagh" come awfully close to dance numbers, thanks to the quartet of vocalists' buoyant singalongs. Picking up from 2019's Amadjar, Tinariwen establish a new penchant for patient, sprawling soundscapes, best demonstrated by five-minute-plus tracks like the aching "Jayche Atarak" and the shuffling "Nak Idnizdjam."
On Amatssou, Tinariwen adds to their amazing range and melodic flexibilities through collaboration, allowing some of their biggest admirers into their majestic, fully realized world.
