A truly exceptional Tuareg guitarist from Niger who passed away in 2020, Abdallah Oumbadougou is considered one of the founders of the desert blues, and this double album contains both classic and previously unreleased tracks from the first decade of the 21st century.

“Illilagh Teneré” starts the listen and wastes little time making an impression with the warm, meticulous guitar playing that welcomes expressive singing to the calm delivery. “Wirhin Titiwé Tchi Higren” follows and is more drum focused, where plenty of flowing rhythm enters, and this leads into the bare moments of the folk influenced “Afrikya.”

Further into the listen, the fuller and live “He Teneré” makes great use of the animated bass and crisp drums with some Western rock flair, while the vocally strong “Tabsiq Dalet” is plenty melodic and radiates much culture and sincerity.

Landing on the back half, the swirling and punchy “Imidiwan” emits soaring backing vocals to a powerful and harmonic album highlight, though “Iwouksane” is a close second thanks to the dynamic and intricate percussion that resides poetically alongside the eloquent singing.

Close to the end, Oumbadougou’s stunning guitar acrobatics shine across the mesmerizing “Dague Oudouniya Zagzag Bass Tchilla,” and the focused call and response singing of “Sarho Nawan” exits the listen and carries a tribal demeanor that heads right to his roots.

Oumbadougou’s influence is still very much present today in modern Tuareg stars like Mdou Moctar, Bombino and Tinariwen. Had his earlier records been more widely available, there’s little doubt that he’d be a world renowned guitar icon, but there’s still time; this posthumous release will certainly preserve his legacy of dedication and skill to his craft and heritage, while showcasing his inimitable guitar virtuosity.

Rating: A-

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