Chatma

Tamikrest’s Chatma is a tribute to the resilience of Tuareg women, by a band who know the pain of displacement firsthand, having been exiled from Mali to the refugee camps of Algeria. Their third album, recorded under the direction of Chris Eckman, combines the earthy grit of desert blues with rock and reggae influences, never wandering far from the genre’s origins but infusing it with new energy. Tracks like “Itous” offer a surprising reggae-inspired riff, while the opener “Tisnant An Chatma” blends Ousmane Ag Mossa’s unmistakable vocals, at once powerful yet always unhurried in their delivery, with swirling guitars and ululations. The psychedelic twists return on the sprawling “Assikal,” albeit more delicately, while “Takma” feels like the closest to the guitar-driven grooves of predecessors Tinariwen.