Mdou Moctar Afrique Victime (Vinyl)

Mdou Moctar has previously claimed, I dont know what rock is exactly, and thats a good thing listening to the Niger-based Tuareg singer-songwriters latest album, ‘Afrique Victime’. Theres a unique sense of freedom in the records eight songs that most household-name rockers will never understand, since North American and European musicians have been inundated with the rigid strictures of verse-chorus-bridge songwriters since birth.

And thats not to say that Moctar grew up on Mars he has declared himself a fan of Eddie Van Halen and ZZ Tops Tres Hombres, and his bands guitar/bass/drums configuration reflects those tastes but the influence of African artists like Abdallah Oumbadougou (the guitarist who first inspired him to pick up the instrument) and the long-running collective Tinarwen seems greater than anything FM radio has championed in the last 50 years.

None of the songs on ‘Afrique Victime’ progress like typical rock songs. Oom-pah rhythms support Taliat, which becomes a showcase for Moctars effortless six-string prowess, and his playing echoes the fluidity of Malian artist Ali Farka Tour as much as someone like Jimi Hendrix. The biggest feat here, though, is how ‘Afrique Victime’ feels upbeat and hopeful from start to finish. This is how free rock & roll should sound. (Rolling Stone)

Tracklist:
A1 Chismiten
A2 Taliat
A3 Ya Habibti
A4 Tala Tannam
A5 Untitled
B6 Asdikte Akal
B7 Layla
B8 Afrique Victime
B9 Bismilahi Atagah