"Ammilana"

Tuareg modes and rhythms hew so close to the dark tonality and shuffling beats of blues and rock that they easily morph into sounds familiar to Western ears.  Fans of the Tuareg super group Tinariwen from Mali, and their musical cousins in Niger in Etran Finatawa, know this well.  Toumast is a collaboration between literal cousins Moussa Ag Keyna and Aminatou Goumari, and musicians they met in France, most notably composer, arranger, producer and multi-instrumentalist Dan Levy.  Moussa founded his group in 1990 while fighting in the Tuareg struggle for recognition in Mali.  Tinariwen, the group that pioneered Tuareg pop, was a principle inspiration to the young singer/guitarist.  But when Moussa was shot and badly wounded in 1993, and landed in a hospital in Paris for months of recuperation, everything changed.  Toumast became something Moussa probably never imagined back home, an international crossover band with a good prospect for international success.

Toumast goes well beyond Tinariwen in terms of arranging elements to create taut, shapely pop songs.  The result is less organic and rootsy, but in no way forced.  By pioneering a more polished and pop contoured take on Tuareg music, Toumast establishes its own niche in the fast growing Tuareg music sub-genre.  The songs are at heart folkloric, with plaintive, often sad melodies, hypnotically cycling grooves and a pervasive emotional quality that speaks volumes about the beauty and hardship of life in the desert.  Even the name of the album, Ishumar, is a twist on the French world for “unemployed,” at one time a common term for young Tuaregs in cities and towns, as they were assumed to be jobless.  So while there are songs of romance and pastoral life here, this is essentially music about the struggle to live under adverse conditions.

Moussa’s cousin Aminatou also plays electric guitar, and the site of a woman singing, ululating, and sporting a big, f-hole, semi-hollow body axe is quite arresting on stage.  More to the point, the two cousins sing and jam with an ease and authenticity that would make them a compelling act all on their own.  As a result, their collaborators face the challenge of enhancing songs without corrupting them.  On stage, they opt for spare, muscular backing, giving the band a pronounced rock ambiance.  On these nine recorded tracks, the approach is more subtle and stylized, involving a wide range of percussion (from pandeiro to jembe and darbouka), occasional strings and saxophone, and always, strong, propulsive bass playing by Frédérico Alagna.  Full-on, kit drum drive comes through at key moments as in the culmination of “Dounia (Life),” which begins and ends with drones and guitar ostinatos, and evolves into taut, tuneful funk. 

“Ammilana (O My God, O My Soul)” is perhaps the album’s emotional centerpiece.  A vocal intro unfolds into a deep, throbbing 12/8 lope.  The vocal recalls the sacrifices of the armed struggle in aching tonalities, rooted in rhythmic clapping.  “Tallyatidagh (That Girl)” offers a sunnier 12/8 groove with enhanced guitar harmony and layered vocals that give it the shape and impact of a pop song, leading to a fine soprano sax solo by Levy.  Precise arranging keeps all these songs moving.  Toumast is less inclined to linger in the meandering mode of Tinariwen’s more casual sound.  In the case of “Kik Ayitma (Hey! My Brothers),” the arrangement ranges from Moussa singing in what sounds like a high lonesome mountain moan to an exuberant, rocking crescendo of drones and guitars.  Anytime the band cuts loose and rocks, as on the break on “Innulamane (The Falcon),” the result is deeply satisfying.  Ululation, stinging guitar, and pounding beat come together irresistibly.  By contrast, the sparest track, “Ezeref (The Camel),” finds Moussa alone with his guitar, rhapsodizing in a soft, plaintive voice about the simple, desert life that his “soul wants.”

Contributed by: Banning Eyre for www.afropop.org