The sound recordings of Tinariwen’s ninth album were made in tents set up in the Mauritanian Sahara, in the company of singer Noura Mint Seymali and guitarist Jeiche Ould Chigaly. It’s hard to imagine conditions more conducive to Tuareg inspiration! Respectful of the approach and traditions updated here, Westerners of high reputation have enriched Tinariwen’s sounds and playing: Warren Ellis, Cass McCombs, Micah Nelson, Rodolphe Burger, and Stephen O’Malley have added instrumental and textural encumbrance to these caravan sounds, raising Amadjar to the ranks of great African sounds of recent years.
