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CD Review
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Nashville City Paper, CD Review >>
--by Ron Wynn
The vocals may be in Arabic, but there’s no mistaking the decided blues and rock influences that permeate the music on Aman Iman: Water Is Life (Harmonia Mundi/World Village). It’s the third release from Tinariwen, a band whose rousing, exuberant songs reflect the still rebellious attitudes and feelings of the Touaregs, whose suffering during the ‘70s and ‘80s due to displacement and war made international headlines.
Without understanding a single syllable uttered on songs like “Mano Dayak,” “Cler Achel,” “Ahimana” or “Toumast,” it’s still easy to hear the pain, anger and also resilience coming from the voice of remarkable lead vocalist Ibrahim Ag Alhabib, whose splayed, splintered guitar accompaniment is even more compelling, as is that of fellow vocalist/guitarist Abdallah Ag Alhoussenyni and Alhassane Ag Touhami.
Sometimes there’s an array of electric guitar parts, other times one or two electric patterns offset by n acoustic, with others chiming in on everything from electric bass to djembe and assorted rhythm instruments. Produced by Justin Adams in a Mali studio, Aman Iman: Water Is Life presents poignant, authoritative protest music, plus other life-affirming and transcendent pieces that obliterate linguistic and cultural differences. 03/30/07 >> go there
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