Consumer Guide Album

Group Bombino: Guitars From Agadez Vol. 2 [Sublime Frequencies, 2009]
Like their pals in Group Inerane, with whom they share equipment and personnel as the occasion demands, Oumara AlMoctar's band are big fans of Tinariwen and Ali Farka Touré, only humbler, rougher, more local. Here, AlMoctar's mastery of "dry guitar," which becomes almost a pretty thing in his hands, is showcased on the four private recordings that lead into a ferocious five-track live set. Souvenir of a war zone now cut off by landmines from the rest of Niger, this music would speak unmistakably of human resilience even if it was the kind of thing outsiders merely appreciate. But in fact it's lovely and grooveful in terms anyone with open ears and heart can hear. A-