Anewal/The Walking Man

Alhousseini Anivolia – Anewal / The Walking Man
Reviewed by Sadie O., 8/8/12
Tuareg Desert Blues from Niger – solo album by the singer/guitarist of Etran Finatawa. Very “unplugged” sound, redolent of sundown around the campfire in the middle of nowhere. At the same time, it’s easy to hear the roots of American blues in this. Has a rather ageless, trance-y effect. All tracks quite lovely.
1. 5:45 **stuttering guitar, rolling midtempo stroll, baritone chanting. Mostly low-register stuff, sort of a serene vibe.
2. 4:32 **guitar flourish intro, midtempo rootsy/bluesy groove, guitar and vocals often in unison.
3. 4:36 ***midtempo with great tenor/baritone counterpart vocals. I think your camel can dance to this.
4. 3:14 **sort of lopsided shuffle, unison vocals. Quite pretty and gentle.
5. 4:30 **pretty midtempo sashay with little bit of hand percussion.
6. 5:53 **very sparse, sort of a hiccupping gutitar line, minimal percussion, yet rather uptempo. Minimalist instrumental.
7. 4:23 **pretty, low single note bassline with the rest of the music sort of swirling around it..
8. 4:00 **guitar trills and flourishes, rather downbeat groove with octave harmony vocals.
9. 3:27 **odd quavery vocal intro… Very sparse and low, but with a rather martial 4/4 beat in the background, repeated chant.
10. 5:55 **bluesy guitar intro, loping, rather downbeat “camel walk”.
11. 6:12 **very different sound - flute-like keyboard, floaty things, pretty, high female vocals. Ends with faint crickets…