Amadjar

Amadjar is the eighth album by the Tuareg band Tinariwen, released in 2019.[3] The album's title means "the foreign traveler" in the Tamashek language.[4] The album features guest appearances by Noura Mint Seymali, Micah Nelson, Cass McCombs, Stephen O'Malley, Warren Ellis, and Rodolphe Burger.[1][2] The album reached number 74 on the Ultratop albums chart in Belgium.[5]

Amadjar
Studio album by Tinariwen
Released	6 September 2019 (2019-09-06)
Recorded	Southern Morocco; Nouakchott, Mauritania
Genre	African blues, world
Length	54:13
Label	Anti/Epitaph
Tinariwen chronology
Elwan (2017) Amadjar (2019)

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[1]
The Guardian	[2]

Background

In 2018, Tinariwen finished an international tour in support of their previous album, Elwan. They were unable to return to their home area in northern Mali due to sectarian violence and threats from Islamist militants.[4] The group instead decamped in Morocco and embarked on a multi-month journey through Western Sahara and Mauritania, collaborating with local musicians at several stops along the way and writing songs while camped out in the desert.[1] Upon arriving in Nouakchott they were hosted by Mauritanian singer/griot Noura Mint Seymali and her husband Jeiche Ould Chighaly. The album was recorded outdoors in the Nouakchott area with mobile equipment, with additional overdubs recorded at studios in France and Morocco.[1] The Guardian noted that the album's unusual genesis "places the listener entirely within the nomadic Tinariwen universe."[2] The album's lyrics reflect the group's recent struggles in trying to return to their homeland, their journey through Western Sahara and Mauritania, and their experiences as an unlikely international touring act.[4][6][7]

Reception

The album received positive reviews from critics. AllMusic praised the album as "a testament to their unyielding collaborative spirit, and on this hybrid of an album, they again summon a common musical language while sounding as authentic as ever."[1] In the words of PopMatters, "No one puts the soul of the Sahara into music so intimately and ingeniously as Tinariwen, and Amadjar is a particularly well-polished jewel."[4] The A.V. Club said that the album is possibly the best of Tinariwen's career, as "droning songs of interlocking (and mostly acoustic) guitar come together with an appealing slowness, as if each element is steadily wandering in from the wilderness, curious about the noise and ready to join in."[8] The Times of London described the album as having "a sound that feels ancient, empty and slightly scary."[9] Riff Magazine praised the album as "the closest anyone will get to the true essence of what Tinariwen represent as a cultural and musical force."[10] Glide Magazine said "Amadjar brims with a true roots essence" and "speaks of unity and togetherness, an understanding that the future needs to be fought together in community and harmony."[7]

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Tenere Maloulat"	Ibrahim Ag Alhabib	3:43
2.	"Zawal"	Abdallah Ag Alhousseyni	4:04
3.	"Amalouna"	Ibrahim Ag Alhabib / Noura Mint Seymali	4:01
4.	"Taqkal Tarha"	Ibrahim Ag Alhabib	3:59
5.	"Anina"	Abdallah Ag Alhousseyni	3:43
6.	"Madjam Mahilkamen"	Alhassane Ag Touhami	3:47
7.	"Takount"	Abdallah Ag Alhousseyni	3:11
8.	"Iklam Dglour"	Ibrahim Ag Alhabib	4:35
9.	"Kel Tinawen"	Ibrahim Ag Alhabib	3:57
10.	"Itous Ohar"	Ibrahim Ag Alhabib	4:19
11.	"Mhadjar Yassouf Idjan"	Ibrahim Ag Alhabib	4:22
12.	"Wartilla"	Abdallah Ag Alhousseyni	5:36
13.	"Lalla"	Abdallah Ag Alhousseyni	4:56
Total length:			54:13

Personnel

All information from album liner notes.[11]

• Ibrahim Ag Alhabib – lead vocals and lead guitar (tracks 1, 3, 4, 8, 9, 10, 11)
• Abdallah Ag Alhousseyni – lead vocals and lead guitar (tracks 2, 5, 7, 12, 13), backing vocals (all tracks)
• Alhassane Ag Touhami – lead vocals and lead guitar (track 6), backing vocals (all tracks)
• Eyadou Ag Leche – bass (all tracks), guitar (tracks 4, 9), backing vocals (all tracks)
• Elaga Ag Hamid – guitar (all tracks), backing vocals (all tracks)
• Said Ag Ayad – percussion (all tracks), backing vocals (all tracks), guitar (tracks 6, 9)
• Noura Mint Seymali – lead vocals (track 3), ardin (tracks 2, 3, 7), backing vocals (track 7)
• Amar Chaoui – percussion (all tracks)
• Lala, Aicha – backing vocals (tracks 1, 4, 5, 6, 9, 10, 11)
• Rodolph Burger – guitar (track 8)
• Warren Ellis – violin loops (tracks 1, 2, 8, 11, 12)
• Cass McCombs – guitar (tracks 9, 10), backing vocals (track 9)
• Micah Nelson – charango, mandolin (track 4)
• Stephen O'Malley – guitar (tracks 3, 10, 12)
• Jeiche Ould Chighaly – guitar (track 2)

Charts

Chart (2019)	Peak position
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[12]	74

References

1. "Amadjar - Tinariwen | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 2019-09-29.
2. Kalia, Ammar (2019-09-06). "Tinariwan: Amadjar review | Ammar Kalia's global album of the month". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2019-09-29.
3. "TINARIWEN RELEASE NEW ALBUM 'AMADJAR' TODAY". Anti- Records. 6 September 2019.
4. "Tinariwen's 'Amadjar' Is a Particularly Well-Polished Jewel". PopMatters. 2019-09-09. Retrieved 2019-09-29.
5. "Tinariwen discography". ultratop.be/nl/. Hung Medien. Retrieved 28 February 2014.
6. Gorondi, Pablo (2019-09-06). "Review: Tinariwen embodies the desert blues on 'Amadjar'". AP NEWS. Retrieved 2019-09-29.
7. "Tinariwen Rise & Inspire With Desert Jams Via 'Amadjar'". glidemagazine.com. Retrieved 2019-09-29.
8. "5 new releases we love: Tinariwen drops a classic, Lower Dens dance it off, and more". Music. Retrieved 2019-09-29.
9. Hodgkinson, Will (2019-09-06). "Tinariwen: Amadjar review — a sound that feels ancient, empty and slightly scary". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 2019-09-29.
10. "ALBUM REVIEW: Tinariwen takes a trip through the Sahara on 'Amadjar'". RIFF Magazine. 2019-09-06. Retrieved 2019-09-29.
11. Tinariwen (2019). Liner notes: Amadjar.
12. "Ultratop.be – Tinariwen – Amadjar" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 1 October 2019.