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" Radio Tisdas Sessions was recorded at the local Tamashek radio station in Mali over a fortnight at the end of 2000. Recordings could only be made between 7pm and midnight because that was the only time when electricity was available. It is all raw, nerve scraping stuff that bristles with emotion, and is aptly described as Desert Blues. If you can imagine a cross between the music of Ali Farka Toure and Junior Kimbrough you get somewhere close to the Tinariwen sound. The main instrument is the electric guitar, which is used to provide relatively simple repetitive refrains, backed by a percussive beat, all fronted by raw, soulful vocals. The opening track, le chant des fauves provides a fair reflection of the sort of thing to expect from the rest of the album. Sometimes the tunes are almost trance-like (the superb Zin Es Gourmeden), and in places they almost sound like daytime radio material (especially Matoraden Anexan). The album ends with a live version of Tin Essako which fades after three minutes and provides plenty of evidence that the band can deliver the goods on stage. If you like your music brimming with passion and intensity, this is as good as it gets. Highly recommended. "
This review is copyright © 2001 by Gordon Baxter, and Blues On Stage. Used with permission of Blues On Stage at www.mnblues.com