Introducing Etran Finatawa

Etran Finatawa | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (June 9, 2006)
• Original Release Date: 2006
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: World Music Network
• ASIN: B000F3A9W6
• Also Available in: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #180,022 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Etran Finatawa combine the rich nomadic cultures of the Tuareg and Wodaabe people from the West African country of Niger – a region that for thousands of years has served as a crossroads between the Arabs of North Africa and the sub-Saharan traditions. Etran Finatawa blend traditional instruments with electric guitars, combining the polyphonic songs of the Wodaabe people with modern arrangements, transporting you to the Sahara with their evocative sound.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Saharan rock, June 5, 2007

By 

H. CRESPO (Chicago, IL United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Introducing Etran Finatawa (Audio CD)

I underestimated how much I was going to like this CD. It has grown on me. I bought it months ago but did not rediscover its beauty until the last couple of weeks, and now I can't stop playing it. Some of its music is trancelike and stays with you.

This is truly the best, purest, most natural, traditional and richest expression of rock music. It is the rock music of the desert, of nomads. It is not the angry, urban, synthesized rock of the West. It is trancelike, voodooesque, and has a call and response thing to it which is uniquely African, yet this is unlike any other type of African music one may hear. It is contemporary African rock. It is sort of a blend of African rock and Gnawa (black Moroccan) music, so original and magical it's hard to describe.

It is also refreshing in that it is not religious like much of the Middle Eastern music that attracts listeners of world music: this is secular, traditional Saharan rock. There is not a track on this CD that I do not like, and if you want to question everything you thought you knew about African music, and if you're looking for a trancelike modern Afro-Saharan vibe, buy this.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Phenomenal!, October 10, 2008

By 

xsundeep "xsundeep" (W Lafayette, IN) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Introducing Etran Finatawa (Audio CD)

This type of music grows on you more and more as you listen to it... West African polyrhythms meets Touareg Ichumar-style guitar (think Tinariwen or Tartit) meets percussion reminiscent of Middle-Eastern music- overlay all of that with the Wodaabe high tenor solo singing (reminiscent of throat-singing). Mix it all in, add a good dose of showmanship, then consider that my reviewing skills are abysmal, and go buy this album. And the next one too.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Satisfying Desert Blues, May 14, 2009

By 

B. Heying (Luxemburg) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Introducing Etran Finatawa (Audio CD)

"Introducing Etran Finatawa" is a distinctive and satisfying addition to the latest wave of "Desert Blues" music. The production quality is excellent, with a natural, acoustic feel. If you like the music of bands like Tinariwen, you will most likely enjoy this music as well. Highly recommended!