Amane

The Moroccan-French three-piece here deliver a well-crafted desert blues collection with strong 70s and 80s rock influences. The group work their magic on the title-track thanks to a catchy combination of rai melodies and rock’n’roll harmonies. Elsewhere, ‘Tagya’ cleverly uses a funk bassline and chicken scratch guitar, and acoustic number ‘Bechar’ contributes an unexpected chanson flavour. Across the album, Bab El West strike a fine balance between the traditional sounds of the Maghreb and Western instrumental and vocal styles, with the sense of cohesion added to by strong production across the board, foregrounding Franck Mantegari’s generous drumming. Vivid lyrical narratives exploring humans’ relationships with nature and one another, delivered by singer Habib Farroukh in Berber and Arabic, give Amane an acute sense of contemporary relevance despite its nostalgic palette.