Tuareg guitarist, singer, and songwriter Bombino's Nonesuch debut album, Nomad, is due out next week. But you don't need to wait till then to hear it: it's streaming in full all this week as an NPR First Listen. NPR calls Bombino's pairing with producer Dan Auerbach "inspired." "The fuzzy, loose and wide-open sounds will be familiar to Black Keys fans—and totally complement the singular honey-and-sand texture of Bombino's voice," says NPR; Bombino's "sound and style are alluring on a global scale." Nomad earns four stars in Mojo and the Financial Times, which calls it "a revelation." The BBC World Service says it's “utterly, utterly fantastic.”
Nonesuch Records will release Nomad, from the Niger-born Tuareg guitarist, singer, and songwriter Omara “Bombino” Moctar, is due out next week. But you don't need to wait till then to hear it. The album is streaming in full all this week as an NPR First Listen at npr.org/music. Nomad is available to pre-order on iTunes and on CD and vinyl in the Nonesuch Store with an instant download of the album track “Azamane Tiliade.”
On the new album, "Bombino benefits from an inspired pairing," writes NPR's Anastasia Tsioulcas. "He teamed up with a kindred spirit in The Black Keys' Dan Auerbach, who produced this new album. The fuzzy, loose and wide-open sounds will be familiar to Black Keys fans—and totally complement the singular honey-and-sand texture of Bombino's voice." Tsioulcas concludes that Bombino's "sound and style are alluring on a global scale."
Read more and listen to the complete album at npr.org/music.
The album has already been met with critical acclaim in early reviews, earning four stars in Mojo and the Financial Times, which calls it "a revelation, crunchy and gritty when it needs to be, but with a wealth of fine detail."
Last week, Bombino was cited on the BBC World Service’s daily arts program The Strand. The episode looked at recent collaborations between prominent African musicians and Western rock producers. The conversation begins with Nomad, which Strand host Mark Coles calls “utterly, utterly fantastic.” Listen to the episode at bbc.co.uk.
Before 2009, Bombino was little known outside Saharan Africa, where his career consisted of regionally available cassettes and roles in local bands. In the last few years, he has begun to find a following abroad. He sold out venues across the US in his first tour here, in 2011, and has garnered the praise of outlets ranging from Pitchfork to NPR’s Fresh Air, whose critic Milo Miles called Bombino “a young performer with the charisma and probing imagination to become the first Tuareg star.”
For additional details and to pre-order Nomad in the Nonesuch Store, click here.
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