Aman Iman

Aman Iman, or Water is Life, is the latest album from the band Tinariwen. It is a collection of evocative, blues-laced rock from a group of Touareqs from Mali. On their web site you can learn about them, but this paragraph sets up the feel of this album:

The Tinariwen story is already well marinated in startling myths; fierce nomadic desert tribesmen toting guns and guitars, Ghadaffi's poet-soldiers spreading their gospel of freedom throughout the world, turbaned rock'n'roll troubadours, Stratocaster on one shoulder, Kalashnikov on the other, 17 bullet wounds and rawest desert blues on earth. All this fabulous imagery is the modern equivalent of the legends that have always stuck to Tinariwen's people, the nomadic Touareg of the southern Sahara; the noble desert warrior, the blue man, the lord of the desert, mysterious, secretive, covered from head to toe with eyes only bared to the world.

The music is difficult to describe. It has tribal rhythms, complete with rolling ululations in the background vocals, driving guitars, a touch of folk, a hint of blues, and an overriding freshness. And despite not understanding a word, and maybe because of it I get drawn into the sound. The opening song, Cler Achel, is one of those pieces that gets locked into your brain, but in a good way.

Before you buy another album, pick up Aman Iman. You won't be disappointed.