Best Desert Blues
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Ali Farka Touré & Toumani Diabaté’s “In the Heart of the Moon” presents a unique fusion of Malian sounds. The album features the distinctive guitar work of Touré, a celebrated Malian singer-songwriter, alongside Diabaté's *kora*, a West African harp-like instrument. Released in 2005, it’s notable fo...
Ali Farka Touré & Ry Cooder’s “Talking Timbuktu” is a seminal world music album resulting from a unique collaboration between the Malian guitarist and American slide guitarist Ry Cooder. Recorded in Mali during the 1990s, it showcases Touré's deeply rooted West African blues traditions alongside Coo...
Tinariwen’s *Aman Iman* represents a pivotal moment in the band's evolution. This 2007 album, meaning “Water is Life” in Tuareg, showcases their distinctive blend of electric guitar and traditional desert blues music. Formed by nomadic Tuareg people from Mali, Tinariwen’s sound reflects their experi...
This 2004 album by the Tuareg desert rock group Tinariwen brought their distinctive electric guitar-driven blues to international critical acclaim.
Tassili (2011) is the Grammy Award-winning album by Tuareg band Tinariwen, partly recorded in the Algerian Sahara desert, and features guest contributions from members of Wilco and TV on the Radio.
Tuareg band Tinariwen's Elwan (2017), whose title means 'elephants' in Tamasheq, extends their desert blues style with guest contributions from Western rock musicians.
The 2007 self-titled debut by Malian guitarist Vieux Farka Touré established him globally, blending the traditional desert blues of his father, Ali Farka Touré, with modern rock elements.
Nigerien Tuareg guitarist Bombino's Nomad (2013) was produced by Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys, bringing his desert blues guitar style to a broad international audience.
Tuareg band Tinariwen's Emmaar (2014) was partly recorded in California's Mojave Desert after armed conflict in northern Mali displaced the group, and it won a Grammy Award.
Imarhan is an Algerian Tuareg band whose self-titled 2016 debut blends the desert blues guitar style of the Sahara with a more melodic, pop-influenced sensibility.
