Bleep

The wonderful Sahel Sounds (Mdou Moctar, Ahmoudou Madassane) drop an LP by singer-songwriter Ahmed Ag Kaedy. Kaedy is from Northern Mali, but due to the region’s ongoing conflict he is currently living in exile. On Alkaline Kidal, Kaedy uses his native Tuareg style as a vessel for him to express the complicated love he now has for his homeland. Sonically, Alkaline Kidal is full of the kind of spare desert blues guitar that one finds in the work of Tinariwen, Bombino and so many other artists from this musically rich area. When combined with Kaedy’s world-weary ballads - some of which express anger at what has happened to his country while others call for peace - it makes Alkaline Kidal an extremely moving record.