by Tinariwen
Listening to Tinariwen’s latest album Emmaar makes you feel like you’re steadily battling an unforgiving Malian desert on camel back – in a good way of course! Emmaar is a superb connection of traditional Malian sounds and grungy, western blues that gives it a truly addictive sound from start to finish. There’s some slight and shade across the album but not much. Yet somehow it doesn’t matter – each song sits in its place so well you feel like you could listen to it for hours, and you certainly don’t want it to do anything else.
Overall the album has a classic Tinarawen desert blues sound. However, tracks like ‘Toumast Tincha’ and ‘Chaghaybou’ at the start of the album, along with the slower and beautifully rhythmic ‘Imidiwan Ahi Sigdim’ demonstrate the subtle use of echo and reverb that gives Emmaar a fuller sound than past albums such as Amassakoul and Aman Iman.
This album is fantastic listening and certainly worth the investment. It also adds to the growing collection of exciting music coming out of Mali courtesy of artists such as Rokia Traore and Oumou Sangare.
by Cat - The Breakfast Spread
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