To put it simply, Tinariwen is to Ladysmith Black Mambazo what Metallica is to Joni Mitchell. No one's going to argue the brilliance of any of these groups, but let's just say that the first artist in each analogy is a little... uh... edgier than the second.Tinariwen's new album, Aman Iman: Water is Life is very, very edgy, to say the least. Tinariwen is a group of people who met in Muammar Al-Qaddafi's rebel training camps (Qaddafi had promised the nomadic Tuareg people religious and political freedom if they'd fight in his war... unsurprisingly, he didn't come through). Their music is highly, highly intense - it's not for the faint of heart, it's probably too complex and inaccessible for beginners, but if you're a true-blue fan of African music, Arabic music or the blues, you'll be very sorry if you miss this one.
Read my review: Aman Iman: Water is Life
Image (c) World Village Records, 2007.
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