Desert Crossroads

Etran Finatawa
Riverboat Records
World | Apr 2008

Reviews

Craig Matsumoto
Reviewed 2008-07-26
Music of nomadic Saharan peoples, plus guitars that add a blues/cajun touch. Lots of African group call-and-response kinds of vocals and plenty of percussion (of course!). The guitars aren't virtuoso perfection but have a great sound.
Not a novelty act; this is quite African/World sounding.

1- Spoken intro, then a snappy paced song
2- Kind of a blues/rock ramble. Catchy.
3- Country/folk acoustic
4- A bit of bluesy ramble
5- Kind of a cajun-jam feel
6- Catchy; some nice jangly guitar work
7- Bouncy and fun, midtempo. Definite cajun touch on guitar.
8- Low-key, with some nifty acoustic guitar work
9- Melodic; a peaceful bounce
10- Crazy off-kilter reed sounds
11- Happy chant
12- Nice swampy guitar licks
13- Deep vocal, percussion, some spoken chatter.
14- A lighter, gentle sound (less percussion)
15- Chant led by a high vocal. Percussion, no guitars.
16- Short bluesy fadeout

Recent airplay

Saghmar N Nanna
Memory SelectOct 10, 2008
Kel Tamasheck
Deep Fried and SanctifiedOct 07, 2008
Ganyo Maada
At the Cafe BohemianOct 07, 2008
Ganyo Maada
At the Cafe BohemianSep 30, 2008
Kel Tamasheck
Rorshach's DanceSep 24, 2008
Ganyo Maada
At the Cafe BohemianSep 16, 2008

Charting

2008-08-10 — 2008-10-12 Reggae/World
Week EndingAirplays
Oct 12 3
Oct 5 1
Sep 28 1
Sep 21 1
Sep 14 1
Sep 7 2
Aug 31 2
Aug 17 2

Track listing

1. Saghmar N Nanna
2. Kel Tamasheck
3. Iguefan
4. Tea Ceremony 1
5. Jama'aare
6. Tekana
7. Ganyo Maada
8. Soto
9. Asistan
10. Bagui's Soundscape
11. Gaynaako
12. Alghalem Taxat
13. Tea Ceremony 2
14. Amidinine
15. Naanaaye
16. Tea Ceremony 3