Etran de L’Aïr comes from the Nigerien desert. That is Niger, not the better known Nigeria. The band sings in the local Tuareg language and thus the cd booklet includes lyrics written in the Tifinagh script (as well as a Latin transcription and French and English translations). I think that is cool. I also think their music is really cool. ‘Desert blues’ they call it, but unlike most American blues, this is uptempo, really catchy, and music to dance to, not to mourn a lost love to. Which actually makes sense for what once started off as a wedding band.