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Ilana (The Creator)

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2019 studio album by Mdou Moctar
Ilana (The Creator)
A blackbird flying above a desert
Studio album by Mdou Moctar
ReleasedMarch 29, 2019 (2019-03-29)
Recorded
  • Detroit, Michigan, US
  • Niger
Genre
Length38:58
LanguageBerber (Tamasheq)
LabelSahel Sounds
Producer
  • Mickey Coltun
  • Christopher Kirkley
Mdou Moctar chronology
Sousoume Tamachek
(2017) 		Ilana (The Creator)
(2019) 		Afrique Victime
(2021)

“For 48 years France has exploited the uranium in our country, and yet we still don’t have roads, medicines and in many places there is no water or electricity. France says we are independent now but we have no independence, we are modern slaves. They say this is an Africa problem, but we have had enough of what France is doing to us; it’s as if we’re still in the 15th century.”

—Vocalist Mdou Moctar on the political themes on Ilana (The Creator)

Ilana (The Creator) is a 2019 studio album by Nigerien desert blues band Mdou Moctar. The album was the first where the guitarist Mdou Moctar converted his solo musical project into a full band and has received positive reviews by critics.

Reception

According to the review aggregator Metacritic, Ilana (The Creator) received "universal acclaim" based on a weighted average score of 88 out of 100 from 5 critic scores. J. D. of The Economist wrote that this album "mastery of Moctar's craft" as a guitarist as this album "makes use of brilliant and dense fingerpicking as well as the power chords favoured in hard rock" Reef Younis of Loud and Quiet scored this album a 7 out of 10, summing up his review "few have stories as compelling as Mdou Moctar but, as ‘Ilana (The Creator)’ testifies, he also has the Saharan sounds to back it up". NPR's Bob Boilen called this "the most insane psychedelic guitar album of the 21st century" and recommended that listeners come at it "with the volume cranked". Editors at Pitchfork Media scored this release 8.0 out of 10 and critic Andy Beta praised this release as "an incandescent set of guitar music with a spontaneous, celebratory air—and a latent urgency reflecting the region’s very real difficulties". At PopMatters, Adriane Pontecorvo rated this album a 9 out of 10, writing that the album builds on the desert blues tradition and yet "still sounds fresh and different from anything Moctar’s contemporaries do, but it is wholly based on his considerable skill as a rock guitarist and songwriter rather than on trying to get in on current trends".

Track listing

All songs written by Mahamadou "Mdou Moctar" Souleymane.

  1. "Kamane Tarhanin" – 5:08
  2. "Asshet Akal" – 4:51
  3. "Inizgam" – 1:24
  4. "Anna" – 4:33
  5. "Takamba" – 2:50
  6. "Tarhatazed" – 7:27
  7. "Wiwasharnine" – 3:38
  8. "Ilana" – 4:46
  9. "Tumastin" – 4:21

Personnel

Mdou Moctar

Additional personnel

  • Robert Beatty – artwork
  • Aroudaini Daniel – djembe
  • Heba Kadry – audio mastering
  • Christopher Kirkley – production
  • Chris Koltay – recording
  • Rigo Luis – photography
  • Seth Manchester – mixing
  • Cem Mısırlıoğlu – drum programming
  • Anna Viotti – photography

See also

References

  1. ^ D, J (10 May 2019). "The virtuosity of Mdou Moctar, the "Jimi Hendrix of the Desert"". Prospero. The Economist. ISSN 0013-0613. Retrieved 10 May 2024.
  2. ^ Pontecorvo, Adriane (1 May 2024). "Mdou Moctar Cements His Place As a Saharan Rock Legend on ‘Ilana: The Creator’". Reviews. PopMatters. Retrieved 10 May 2024.
  3. ^ Boilen, Bob (21 March 2019). "First Listen: Mdou Moctar, 'Ilana (The Creator)'". Review. First Listen. NPR. Retrieved 10 May 2024.
  4. Willsher, Kim (21 March 2019). "'We are modern slaves': Mdou Moctar, the Hendrix of the Sahara". Interview. The Guardian. Guardian Media Group. ISSN 1756-3224. OCLC 60623878. Retrieved 10 May 2024.
  5. "Ilana: The Creator by Mdou Moctar Reviews and Tracks – Metacritic". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. n.d. Retrieved 10 May 2024.
  6. Younis, Reef (28 March 2019). "Mdou Moctar Ilana (The Creator)". Reviews. Loud and Quiet. ISSN 2049-9892. Retrieved 10 May 2024.
  7. Beta, Andy (1 April 2019). "Mdou Moctar: Ilana (The Creator) Review". Albums. Pitchfork Media. Condé Nast. Retrieved 10 May 2024.

External links

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