Amankor/The Exile

This exiled Touareg ensemble from Mali's Timbuktu region have been active for nearly three decades, led by singer Fadimata Walet Oumar, who is surrounded by her posse of female vocalists. The men take care of the instruments, although the women play tindé (drums). There's a campfire intimacy to this session, recorded live in Bamako in 2017, with call-and-response group vocals, flute, curlicue guitars and bass. Tartit continue to sing songs about Saharan life. After the sparse opener ‘Afous Dafous’, the crisscrossing gets denser, swaying and ululating, with fast handclaps.

Although Tartit have a campfire approach, this can sound too casual. This session isn't exactly smouldering with excitement, and there's more of a flat, documentary approach. It's advisable to turn up the volume to maximise the power and presence. The songs get better as the album progresses, and the best numbers arrive when the imzad (a one-stringed bowed fiddle) is at its most prominent. ‘Tarhanin’ and ‘Akaline’ deliver, the latter boasting a sizzling guitar solo, along with increased vocal and handclapping momentum. This album definitely withholds its best until its second half.