Chatma cover

Chatma

Released

Tamikrest’s Chatma is a tribute to the resilience of Tuareg women, by a band who know the pain of displacement first hand, having been exiled from Mali to the refugee camps of Algeria. Their third album, recorded under the direction of Chris Eckman, combines the earthy grit of desert blues with rock and reggae influences, never wandering far from the genre’s origins but infusing it with new energy. Tracks like “Itous” offer a surprising reggae-inspired riff, while the opener “Tisnant An Chatma” blends Ousmane Ag Mossa’s unmistakable vocals, at once powerful yet always unhurried in their delivery, with swirling guitars and ululations. The psychedelic twists return on the sprawling “Assikal,” albeit more delicately, while “Takma” feels like the closest to the guitar-driven grooves of predecessors Tinariwen.

Megan Iacobini de Fazio

Suggestions
Electric cover

Electric

Richard Thompson
Happenstance cover

Happenstance

Steve Tilston
New Ancient Strings cover

New Ancient Strings

Toumani Diabaté, Ballaké Sissoko
Kiriké cover

Kiriké

Kassé-Mady Diabaté
Dunya cover

Dunya

Malouma
Music in Exile cover

Music in Exile

Songhoy Blues
Mali Denhou cover

Mali Denhou

Boubacar Traoré
Boulevard de l’Independance cover

Boulevard de l’Independance

Toumani Diabaté's Symmetric Orchestra
True Stories cover

True Stories

Martin Simpson