classic 2004 album by the legendary, politically charged, tuareg desert blues band finally becomes available on cd once again.

tinariwen strip rock down to its basic building blocks of rhythm, guitars, & voice. on ‘amassakoul’ they stick to what they do well, keeping the music raw & emotional. while there are similarities to the desert blues of mali, these tuareg nomads from the western sahara are as much a rock band as the stones at their best, capable of conjuring up magic with a guitar riff or lick. oftentimes, the music has the same bluesy, undulating, hypnotic rhythm of a camel crossing the sand, as on ‘aldhechen manin.’ but they can also crank the amps & unleash something to tingle the spine & feet, which they do on ‘oualahila ar tesninam,’ as frantic & primal a piece of rock & roll as you're likely to find.