Noura Mint Seymali

Noura Mint Seymali is a singer and ardin player based in Nouakchott, the capital of Mauritania. She comes from a line of griots, i.e., storytelling singers and poets in the West African tradition. Her work draws from the music of both the Sahara and the Magreb: there are elements in her music that should be familiar from desert blues bands like Tinariwen, and other aspects that bring in the sounds of North Africa. None of this is particularly surprising since Mauritania lays adjacent to both regions. She has a powerful, wide open voice and a precise delivery. Her songs are quite catchy, and they are delivered with solid instrumental support from her band, consisting of her husband, Jeich Ould Chighaly on the guitar, who has been playing with her since 2004, and the rhythm section of Ousmane Touré (bass) and Matthew Tinari (drums) that joined them in 2012.