Anyone who thinks the electric guitar’s possibilities have been exhausted should make Tinariwen’s compelling and exotic “Amassakoul” required listening. 

            The latest from nomadic Tuareg tribesmen, the music is born out of spontaneous jam sessions in the Sahara region of the West African nation of Mali.  Tuareg political groups financed modern amps and electric guitars for the group in hope of snagging fiery political anthems during that region’s ‘90s rebellions.  Sometimes referred to as the Blue Men, these tribesmen still create incendiary music with their hot guitars.  The group is led by its chief singer/songwriter/guitarist, Ibrahim Ag Alhabib.  A cadre of other guitarists, singers and musicians provides claps, bass, percussion and a few native instruments.

            Roiling, sinewy guitars and hypnotic rhythms slither and snake through a sonic tapestry of rough-hewn male vocals bolstered by ululating female choruses.  Rolling and tumbling guitars power songs about rebellion, struggle, identity, tribal life and liberation. 

            Listeners may not fully understand each lyric, but the music’s power conveys the emotional core and passionate essence of each song.  This disc takes the blues roots of Mali into the 21^st century.