Tinariwen - Amassakoul

Recorded in Bamako in 2003, Tinariwen's second international album crystallized the Saharan desert blues sound known as assouf. Blending traditional Tuareg call-and-response vocal poetry and handclaps with driving, interlocking electric guitar riffs, songs like Oualahila Ar Tesninam and Chet Boghassa resonate with longing, political exile and nomadic dignity.