Nomad

Nonesuch Records will release Nomad, from the Tuareg guitarist, singer, and songwriter Omara "Bombino" Moctar, on April 2. At the invitation of The Black Keys' Dan Auerbach, the Niger-born artist and his band traveled to Nashville for the recording, helmed by Auerbach at his studio, Easy Eye Sound.

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 U.S. 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." Auerbach, winner of the 2013 Grammy for Producer of the Year, became a fan after a friend saw him perform and thought Auerbach might appreciate his unique style of desert blues.