Mariam Hassan, "Id Chab"

The Rough Guide compilation team displays the top of their game with this set of thirteen tracks from the vast, north African desert.  Punctuated by hand claps and ululations, and at times supporting paint peeling vocal performances, these hypnotic grooves evoke varieties of life in a vast, forbidding land that dried up in around 3000 BC.  Compagnie Jellouli & Ghin from Tafilalet, , begin this audio journey in a melodious style believed to preserve remnants of Andalusian music within its largely Berber cultural mix.  A deep, resounding jangle of oud graces the snap and boom of trance percussion as two male vocals intertwine lines.  The track is paritcularly satisfying, but there are literally no misses here.

Malouma’s searing, bluesy take on Mauritanean folklore is about as pop as the selection gets, along with a track from Sekou Maïga from Ali Farka Toure’s neck of the woods in northern .  Backed by a tasty band with bass, a wheedling fiddle, acoustic guitar, traditional lute, backing singers, and the ubiquitous keyboard and drum machine, Maïga turns the sort of track fans of northern music yearn for.  Even when the song lulls midway into a spoken-word homage to heroes, the vibe carries through.  is, of course, represented by the champions of Tuareg electric guitar trance music, Tinariwen, and Tuareg folklore, Tartit.  Although, the grunting, sputtering vocals of another Tuareg troupe, Kel Tin Lokiene, recorded in the field put you into the scene more than any track here. 

Two lesser known vocalists deserve special mention.  Hasna el Becharia’s stylish reworking of her gnawa heritage in incorporates rolling oud, loping percussion and an arrangement that lets her spectacular voice build to a peak that really makes you believe this is music capable of healing the sick.  From the disputed territory of the Western Sahara , Sahraoui vocalist Mariam Hassan hits still harder with “Id Chab,” for me the best of many strong vocal tracks here.  And Sahraoui electric guitarist Nayim Alal sets a new standard for desert Hendrix wannabes with his jangling, chiming tone and riffs that roar with satisfying severity.  

Kudos to desert veteran Andy Morgan , the mind behind this collection.  From the Berber lands of , Sahraoui Bachir’s flute and vocal duo offer a fittingly serene end to a desert journey the listener will want to take over and over again. 

Contributed by: Banning Eyre for www.afropop.org