In the five years since 2018's , Tuareg singer/guitarist became the first artist from Niger to earn a Grammy nomination. He followed it with the 2020 concert album , further emphasizing the West's fascination with his music. The admiration is mutual; 's fiery desert blues approach takes plenty of cues from rock & roll. On , his emotional seventh album, he deepens this amalgam with deeply personal songs, recorded in Casablanca by Welsh producer ( , ). Named for the wide and diverse belt of land spanning the width of North Africa, is an album of extremes with scintillating rockers and hypnotic guitar work sharing the stage with stripped-down acoustic ballads. is also more outspoken here, rallying for unity among the Tuareg people on the vivid, psych-influenced "Aitma." Amid the more rousing and motivational songs, he laments loss in myriad ways: loss of freedom, loss of culture, lost loves. Over the quiet lope of acoustic guitar and finger snaps, sounds brokenhearted on the moody "Ayo Nigla," which, along with the similarly toned closer "Mes Amis," expresses unrequited love. Like the region of its namesake, contains multitudes. It is complex, cathartic, celebratory, and at times sad, but always burning with the spark of 's innate talent. ~ Timothy Monger