Imidiwan: Companions

Last updated
Imidiwan: Companions
Tinariwen Imidwan.jpeg
Studio album by
ReleasedJune 29, 2009
Genre
Label Independiente
Tinariwen chronology
Aman Iman
(2007)
Imidiwan: Companions
(2009)
Tassili
(2011)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [1]
PopMatters Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [2]
Pitchfork Media (7.6/10) [3]
RockfeedbackStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [4]
The Guardian Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [5]
SPIN Magazine Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [6]

Imidiwan: Companions, released 29 June 2009, is the fourth studio album by Tuareg band Tinariwen. The album saw the band reunite with Jean-Paul Romann, the producer of their 2001 album The Radio Tisdas Sessions . [7] Some editions of the album include a DVD featuring a 30-minute documentary about the band. [1]

Contents

Themes

Joe Tangari of Pitchfork discussed how the band experienced much of the world outside the desert and how it has influenced the new direction of this album. [8] He said "lyrically the songs, sung in Tamashek, visit themes of liberation and cultural-historical pride". [8] Later he stated that it contains assuf "an untranslatable word with implications of homesickness, loneliness, and sadness; it also refers to the nighttime world beyond the light of the campfire." [8]

Critical reception

The album received generally positive reviews. The Guardian gave the album 4 out of 5 stars, saying "Tinariwen just keep on keepin' on, relentless and brilliant as the Saharan sun." [5] The Daily Telegraph also gave the album 4 stars, saying that the band are "...the nearest thing the modern world provides to a real blues feel." [9]

Imidiwan also won the 2009 Uncut Music Award for being "the most inspiring and richly rewarding album of the last 12 months". [10]

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Imidiwan Afrik Tendam"Ibrahim Ag Alhabib3:32
2."Lulla"Ibrahim Ag Alhabib3:49
3."Tenhert"Abdallah Ag Alhousseyni5:28
4."Enseqi Ehad Didagh"Ibrahim Ag Alhabib5:40
5."Tahult In"Alhassane Ag Touhami4:10
6."Tamudjeras Assis"Mohammed Ag Itlale ("Japonais")4:51
7."Intitlayaghen"Abdallah Ag Alhousseyni4:49
8."Imazaghen N Adagh"Abdallah Ag Lamida ("Intidao")3:46
9."Tenalle Chegret"Ibrahim Ag Alhabib5:43
10."Kel Tamashek"Abdallah Ag Alhousseyni3:16
11."Assuf Ag Assuf"Ibrahim Ag Alhabib4:54
12."Chabiba"Ibrahim Ag Alhabib3:21
13."Ere Tasfata Adounia"Alhassane Ag Touhami4:53
14."Desert Wind"Ibrahim Ag Alhabib4:19

Note: "Desert Wind," an instrumental, was included as a bonus track in some editions of the album.

Personnel

All information from album liner notes. [11]

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References

  1. 1 2 Imidiwan: Companions at AllMusic
  2. PopMatters review
  3. Pitchfork review
  4. Rockfeedback review
  5. 1 2 Thomson, Graeme (2009-06-14). "World music review: Tinariwen, Imidiwan". The Guardian. London.
  6. "SPIN Magazine review".
  7. "Music - Review of Tinariwen - Imidiwan: Companions". BBC. Retrieved 2012-02-24.
  8. 1 2 3 Tangari, Joe. "Pitchfork Overview". Pitchfork . Retrieved February 21, 2016.
  9. Hudson, Mark (2009-06-25). "Tinariwen: Imidiwan Companions, CD review". The Daily Telegraph. London.
  10. "Saharan musicians win Uncut award". BBC News. 2009-11-09.
  11. Tinariwen (2009). Liner notes: Imidiwan: Companions.