Review Summary: An overall average performance from a competitor whose strong start hinted at more.
In any career, regardless of the field, a few ups and downs are always expected. Their varying impact doesn’t have as much to do with their nature as with the way the affected parties deal with them. They can let them affect their entire course from that point on, never managing to make it back to the point they previously occupied; or they can try to bounce back from it and get as close to their former status as possible. With
Imidiwan, Malian bluesmen Tinariwen evidently go for the latter approach, and while the results are not entirely stellar, the troupe’s fourth record does represent a definite improvement over its predecessor.
In fact,
Imidiwan represents a (partial) return to the songwriting form which was so direly lacking on
Aman Iman. Where that album was contentedly mediocre and unoriginal, its successor makes an attempt at recapturing the bottled lightning of the group’s sophomore effort,
Amassakoul. The opening title track is a distinctive declaration of intentions, and it leaves a smile on the most hardened Tinariwen fan. Quite simply, it is the group’s best song since
Arawan, with its big and instantly memorable chorus harking back to the poppy tones of that stellar track. It also seems to set the album on the right path; unfortunately, while the next few songs manage to hold up for a bit, the record quickly falls into the same-old, same-old of Tinariwen songwriting. The group are the AC/DC of world music, and unfortunately this often detracts from their records.
However, while latter songs decrease the interest levels drastically, the overall result is still head and shoulders above
Aman Iman. There may be no other standouts as clear as that opening title track, but most of the songs remain listenable, rarely eliciting the sense of boredom its predecessor brought along. Conversely, however, most of the songs seem content with being
”nothing but” listenable, never striving for anything more than the typical Tinariwen fare. After that bold, attractive opener, this is a little frustrating and disappointing, detracting from the overall likeability of the album. Even when the group are genuinely trying once again – like on closer
Ere Tasfata Adounia, which suddenly speeds up halfway through before segueing into an atmospheric hidden track – one can’t shake the feeling that this could have been so much more.
Still, the fact remains –
Imidiwan is a decent album, and a good rebound for Tinariwen after the debacle of
Aman Iman. However, for an album which started off looking like it could dislodge
Radio Tisdas from its second position in the discography, the end result is a little underwhelming. This album may serve as a good point of entry for Tinariwen newbies, but even they will be better off picking up
Amassakoul. Hopefully the next record will be a
real return to form for the desert bluesmen.
Recommended Tracks
Imidiwan
Ere Tasfata Adounia
