Like A Bird Or Spirit, Not A Face

"Like A Bird Or Spirit, Not A Face", is what Tuvan legend Sainkho Namtchylak said was the vision for her next album. She specified further that her desire was to work with north African musicians. Unbeknownst to her, the producer, Ian Brennan, had by coincidence and/or fate just won a Grammy, producing Malian group, Tinariwen.

They convened with Tinariwen,s rhythm section in France. In a whirlwind two days, they wrote and recorded on-the-spot over a double album's worth of material, combining the two nomadic traditions. Though a continent apart, the artists found common ground between the two cultures, each who have struggled for survival and independence.

With the world's foremost female throat-singer at the helm, the collaboration pushed the Tuareg musicians to new heights, blending techniques and atmosphere to create one of the more unique and ethereal records one is likely find anywhere. All three artists walked away stating that it was one of the best experiences creatively that they had ever had. Sung in Tuvan, Russian, and English, the music ranges from steppe punk-rock to droning mood-pieces to epic ballads.