Tinariwen is group of musicians from the southern Sahara Desert region whose work has been brought to the United States by World Village for release in October, 2004.

I have to admit that I feel a bit inadequate in setting out to describe the music of Tinariwen. It will be hard to do these songs justice with words alone. The problem is that these simple rock compositions hold with in them some immense complexities. Listen to "Amassakoul" once through for the first time, and you'll feel as if you have just listened to a good classic rock album similar to the work of early Santana, or some later George Harrison. Listen to it a second and third time, and "Amassakoul" begins to pull you into its own world. It's the equivalent of discovering Narnia behind a wardrobe. At the risk of oversimplifying things, I will start off by saying that Tinariwen is electric guitar driven rock seamlessly fused to the traditional rhythms and vocal styles of the Middle East. Every once in while a haunting wood flute makes an appearance accompanied by some didgeridoo-like droning. In Tinariwen the sacred darkness of American blues meets the intense heat of Saharan tribal culture, and the unruly power of classic rock and roll meets the stability and wisdom of old world percussion. As with all of the best music, much of what you'll hear on "Amassakoul" seems to have come right up out of the land in which it was created. In the song "Tenere Dafeo Nikchan" (translated "I'm in a desert with a wood fire"), for instance, you can see the fire, the rocks, the night sky, and the parched earth. In "Amassakoul 'N' Tenere" ("the traveler in the desert") you can feel the thirst and the perfect solitude. It's an album of images, and impressions.

I am in awe of the music of Tinariwen, and I can't think of one reason why someone else wouldn't like it. For starters, its good rock and roll. It has intriguing rhythms and it's as earthy and passionate as an album can be. In fact, it's getting more and more difficult to find music of this kind on our side of the ocean. One would have to dig up some old Lightning Hopkins, or Mississippi John Hurt records to find music as low down, and as heartfelt as what you will find on "Amassakoul."

Key Song: "Oualahila Ar Tesninam"

Reviewed by: Jared St. Martin Brown