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
Happenstance cover

Happenstance

Steve Tilston
The Harvest Years cover

The Harvest Years

Shirley Collins, Dolly Collins
Beware the Fetish cover

Beware the Fetish

Kasai Allstars
Samba Jazz & Outras Bossas cover

Samba Jazz & Outras Bossas

Joyce Moreno, Tutty Moreno
Sweet Warrior cover

Sweet Warrior

Richard Thompson
Purpose & Grace cover

Purpose & Grace

Martin Simpson
Onyx Root cover

Onyx Root

Michael Powers
Man & Myth cover

Man & Myth

Roy Harper