Customer Reviews

Imidiwan: Companions

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Tinariwen (former guerrillas from the depths of the Malian Sahara) are Touareg rockers dressed in flowing indigo robes wielding electric guitars.

This is their forth album, which takes a step back from the sonic clarity of "Aman Iman: Water Is Life", in favour of a rootsier sound.

They recorded this album out in the Sahara, in the remote oasis of Tessalit, and this is audible in the raw, sandy grit of the 13 tracks.

The fundamentals are unchanged and on this one they are bravely sticking to what they do best: the rolling, laid-back rhythmic grooves; powerful, intricate guitar exchanges; bluesy, call-and-response vocals, echoing with desert soul - while there's a greater emphasis on the poetic, meditative qualities of desert life, whether on the intense "Tamdjeras Assis" ("Regret Is a Storm") or the graceful "Chabiba", a hymn to youth.

"Tenhert" matches a light blues riff against rapid-fire vocals, and "Kel Tamashek" is a glorious stomping work-out.

"Lulla" is glorious, sounding like a heavy, late-night celebration with fiery guitar licks and distant ululations.

It's impossiblbe to resist to their trancey pieces and their rousing, slinky desert blues.

At the end of the listening, you are under their spell, caught and locked into their shamanic groove.

Aman Iman: Water is Life

Fondo

Eclipse

The Magic Couple

In the UK, recent years have seen a trend developing whereby African music is being accorded a higher profile. I've never bought an album of African music before but, as I am quite a trendy person myself, I thought the release of 'Imidiwan : Companions', by Tinariwen, presented an ideal opportunity for me to jump on the bandwagon.

The music combines elements of American blues with North African rhythms; it's a highly textured (and somewhat bewildering) blend of bluesy guitar riffs, hypnotic rhythms, primordial drones, some unusual time signatures, chant-like vocals and unintelligible lyrics. All of the lyrics are sung in Tamasheq (which sounds a bit like Arabic), but the liner notes provide English translations and these indicate contemporary folk themes. The band's basic instrumental line-up consists of 1st. and 2nd. electric guitars, acoustic guitar and bass guitar, with each of the electric/acoustic guitar players taking the lead on a selection of the songs; rhythm guitar can be heard in the mix also, and percussion comes from a variety of hand-struck traditional instruments. The lead guitarists also provide the lead vocals, and the male/female backing vocalists sing in a style that is often loose, occasionally a bit chaotic, but usually in harmony. Amazon place the album in the 'Dance & Electronic' category - well, I guess you can dance to some of it, but 'electronic'???

I rather liked the music - although I don't always feel comfortable with it (maybe that's part of the appeal?). All the same, it's only going to be a matter of time before one or two of Tinariwen's earlier albums will find their way onto my CD rack. Whilst the music is unlikely have a universal appeal, I imagine some fans of blues music will find it of interest; also, devotees of psychedelic rock may appreciate some of its 'lysergic' qualities.

The music CD comes with a DVD which contains a 30 minute documentary. This shows the band members rehearsing and recording, chatting about Tuareg culture and their own music, and doing a few impromptu local gigs. The film also features a quite lot of sand, several camels, a fleet of 4x4s and a vegetable patch. English sub-titles are provided, so there's no need to brush up on your Tamasheq.

Tinariwen are a band of exiled Touareg freedom fighters from Mali once conscripted into Colonel Gaddafi's army (they would often go into battle with guitars strapped to their backs). Theirs is a psychedelic mix of Folk, Blues, with Arabic influences, sung in the Berber language Tamasheq. The album has a nice campfire ambience, and yes, guitars feature prominently. All kinds; Blues, Electric, Sitar-like ones.

Highlights on the disc include the clap-filled "Lulla", the electric guitar-driven Bluesey "Tenhert", the soothing pair of "Enseqi Ehad Didagh" (with some sitar-sounding string instrument) and the dreamy "Chegret" (the latter with calming harmonies - both are my favourites), the Santana-sounding pair of "Tahult in" and "Imazaghen N Adagh" (with lovely tapped percussion), and closing cut, the shuffling "Ere tasfata Adouni" (with Santana-style guitar licks and picking up speed towards the end).

Joyous and mournful all at once, this is beautiful Blues from the desert.

Tinariwen. Hmmm, young boys on the run from a civil war, forced to grow up on the edge of the Saharan desert in northern Mali, find hope in listening to Hendrix and other great rock and roll. Answer = form band. Tinariwen turns the experience of the desert in a sensation for your ears. A testament to the power of pop music to infiltrate even into way out of the way places on the earth and then be turned once again on its head. The guys and gals of Tinariwen today are ace performers - you can't buy the kind of cool that their lead man Ibrahim has. Their music is borne out of conflict, hardship, and a never ending desire to look beyond it all to something more. This record is great, but easily one of the most powerful live performances I ever saw. They say in West Africa that 'the beautiful ones are not yet born'. Tinariwen may just be a few of them. Add to cart now.

My friends (imidiwan) from all over Africa

I have a question, a question which torments my soul

Is the revolution like those trees

Whose branches will grow if we water them...

I have lived with this obsession for ten years

I have come amongst brothers

My friends, what do you think?

This is an evocative, haunting album which captures the soul of the desert through voices of former Tuareg resistance fighters. These days Tuareg's are making life difficult for the Bambara who have appropriated most of the resources in Mali for themselves; perhaps the time has come to share them more equitably. Because one does not mess with the Tuaregs. The structure of songs on this CD is the simple call-and-response yet how much spirit there is in the voices of men and women. How much subtlety, strength, sincerity, how much yearning and above all, authenticity.

"Tell him, who values life

Let him know that life is like flow on an arid plateau

Flowing sometimes at night, where at dawn not even the dew remains.... "

The enclosed DVD shows the musicians in their home country (Mali/Mauretania) hanging out, playing in their community. There is no spoken commentary apart from musicians and locals themselves. I liked it a lot.

Alluring sounds of undulating sand dunes and melodies which could have been carried by the desert winds. Hard to believe these guys back-strapped their guitars and clasped AK47s to fight -- and vice versa.

I tripped over this group. Their history is interesting and their music is fantastic. If you are looking for something different to open your mind I recommend Tinariwen. Enjoy!

A fusion of electronic and North African music that is worth a listen, and some of the better music being recorded.

Many cuts on this CD are high quality, not just one or two. No wonder this CD won the best CD for 2009 awarded by Un Cut magazine. The entire CD is a very rich musical experience! I got Amassakoul shortly after it came out, and then Aman Iman. Tinariwen steadily becomes greater than before. Having just gone to a concert of theirs this February, this CD captures more of the live experience that the prior ones.

I experienced a personal snafu with ordering this (I ordered one, but was sent, & billed for, 2 copies -- neither Amazon nor Import CDs would accept responsibility, so I sold second copy to friend). But enough about me...

This is another solid release from Tinariwen. If you liked earlier recordings, you'll probably like this one. No radical departures here.

The half-hour DVD presents a nice slice-of-life perspective on the band, but I wish it would have delved more deeply into the history of the band. As I understand it, that history is more interesting than the DVD lets on.