"The return of the Tuareg group Tartit is a timely reminder that Saharan music is much more than "desert blues". Their career has been disrupted by the wars in north Mali when many of their members went into exile. "Amankor" ("The exile") is their first album in twelve years after the group re-gathered in a Bamako studio. They're the most traditional of the many Tuareg groups doing the rounds and insist, quite correctly, that theirs is the only group with all the elements of Tuareg music. Men and women are equal in Tuareg society, but there is a strong matrilineal tradition and the group is led by four female singers. Their singing, a distinctive style of hand-clapping rhythm that is given only tokenistic value by the rock groups, and their showcasing of traditional instruments like the imzad (a one-string fiddle) and tinde (a small drum) make them unique in the curret situation ... The songs may initially sound a little samey, but one gets caught up in their enduring Saharan flavour and the final song by a male elder makes a riveting coda".
