With the release of
Amassakoul (2004) and
Aman Iman (2007), the Tuareg collective Tinariwen instantly put so-called desert blues on the global map. An important factor in the success of the Malian and Algerian musicians is the fact that their music, due to the bluesy vocals and ditto guitars, also (or rather, precisely) sounds familiar to Western ears to some extent. And that side of the group also
… comes out explicitly in Beyond The Fear. Guest artists on the record are guitarist Fats Kaplin and producer/musician Daniel Lanois, who infuse the record with Western (blues) sounds, which blend seamlessly with Tinariwen's music. Beyond The Fear is yet another testament to the universal power that Tinariwen's music exudes. (JV)more
