Tinariwen:

Amassakoul (World Village)

                        The Tuaregs are a nomadic people of the Sahara Desert whose name means “abandoned by the gods.”  Their tortured history of repression, marginalization, and rebellion are at the root of the Mali-based band Tinariwen, which mixes electric guitars and bass with traditional percussion and call-and-response singing styles.  Even if you’ve heard a lot of African music, you’ve probably never heard anything like this—spare and hypnotic, with echoes of everything from Arabic or Berber music to the Delta blues.