Cler Achel

Tinariwen, 2007, from Amassakoul. Solo by Tinariwen.

The opener of Aman Iman sets looping guitar figures against call-and-response vocals, the band's sound at its most direct.

Cler Achel opens Aman Iman with Tinariwen's sound at its most direct: looping electric guitar figures that circle round and round while voices trade lines in call and response. There is no conventional solo here; the lead playing lives in small variations on the repeating patterns, a bent note here, a sharper accent there, that keep the cycle moving. That approach, trance-like and patient, is the heart of the Tuareg guitar style the band carried to international audiences. It changed how many Western listeners heard the connection between African music and the blues. Listen for the way the guitars interlock just behind the beat, giving the groove its loping, swaying gait rather than a square rock pulse.

Cler Achel by Tinariwen is featured in our Desert Blues (#1) list. The solo is played by Tinariwen and the song was released in 2007.

In our lists

• Genre Champions — #7
• Beyond the Canon — #3
• The Greatest Desert Blues Guitar Songs — #1
• The Best Tinariwen Guitar Solos — #1

Sources