Desert blues / tishoumaren / assouf. Main project of Tuareg Nigerien songwriter Mahamadou Souleymane, joined with a full band. Joyous guitar music with blues, rock influences. Lyrics, which are in the Tamasheq language, address politics, nature, and love.

Favorites: 1, 2, 4, 9
Related: Tinariwen, Bombino, Hendrix (apparently a common influence among Tuareg guitarists)

1. (4:59) * Chismiten — Sunny guitar jam with a locked-in percussive groove, some sounds of the crowd
2. (3:49) * Taliat — Warbled psyche guitars, ardent group chanting, epic guitar soloing towards end
3. (3:32) Ya Habibti — Acoustic guitar, group chants and hand-claps
4. (5:38) * Tala Tannam — Sweet, muted guitars and vox, bonfire music, reminds me of Tinariwen
5. (1:25) Untitled — First 30 seconds are near silence, then Hendrix-style gits come in
6. (4:32) Asdikte Akal — Group chants and joyful psyche guitars, amped up soloing in last minute
7. (4:26) Layla — I wanted this to be a Derek & the Dominos cover, but it wasn’t. Acoustic blues, chanting of “Layla,” probably about a former lover
8. (7:26) Afrique Victime — Strong vox, head-bopping jam, distorted guitars in last few minutes
9. (5:37) * Bismilahi Atagah — Acoustic guitar and bold percussion, harmonious group vox, roadtrip music