On Amatssou, their ninth studio album, Tinariwen set out to explore the shared sensibilities of African desert blues and American country music as banjos, fiddles and pedal steel mix seamlessly with the Tuareg band’s trademark snaking guitar lines and hypnotic grooves. The lyrics call for unity and freedom; there are songs of struggle and resistance with oblique references to the recent desperate political upheavals in Mali and the increasing power of the Salafists. The album’s title Amatssou is Tamashek for ‘Beyond The Fear’. This was produced by Daniel Lanois, and was recorded in Algeria, France, Los Angeles and Toronto. Guest musicians include Fats Kaplin on fiddle and Wes Corbett on banjo.
Monday 6/5: Tinariwen – Amatssou
