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Mar 31, 2016Azel is essential, not just for Bombino's growing legion of fans or even those of music from the Sahara region. It is a remarkable example of 21st century popular music.
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Apr 21, 2016While Bombino and his fellow Tuareg's music is now well settled in the same market, the rebellion which fuels their music is very real, and as such, Azel is a breath of fresh air.
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Apr 11, 2016If your idea of African music is Paul Simon playing out his colonial lord fantasies amid a bunch of syrupy melody and chipper rhythms, well… this note’s for you. And there are some surprises awaiting.
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Q MagazineMar 24, 2016It's complex music but with enough of a melodic charm to hook you in, easy to appreciate but hard to fully grasp. [May 2016, p.104]
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UncutMar 24, 2016Throughout Azel, the mix of the two genres allows for an even greater sense of uplift and collectivism in a music that always carried the communal at its core. [May 2016, p.72]
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MojoMar 24, 2016[Azel] finds him maturing rapidly. [May 2016, p.93]
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Mar 24, 2016The addition of female vocalist Mama “Mahassa” Walet Amoumine and periodic excursions into skanky Caribbean rhythms (wryly dubbed “Tuareggae” by Bombino) stamp Azel as yet another remarkable transition for the guitarist.
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Apr 11, 2016For all the guitar pyrotechnics, Western production, and reggae infusions, Azel never sounds like anything other than a sublime iteration of desert blues.
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Mar 24, 2016Backed by a full band, there are flourishes of rock and even reggae, but Azel stirs up another desert blues masterpiece.
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Apr 6, 2016Three albums in, and several world tours under his belt, Bombino's music remains as powerful and vital as the day he first picked up a guitar.
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Apr 14, 2016He’s an efficient musician who can mix echoes of Tinariwen and Farka Touré with a dash of reggae, and switch between romping electric blues and reggae to acoustic styles. But for much of this set he sounds as if he’s on autopilot.
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Apr 11, 2016The results are less surprising than you might imagine.
User score distribution:
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Positive: 7 out of 8
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Mixed: 0 out of 8
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Negative: 1 out of 8
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Jun 6, 2016
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Nov 21, 2016