Spertador

Tabanka's debut album is a modern take on the funaná music of Cape Verde – an uptempo dance style recognisable from its prominent gaita (accordion) and ferrinho (iron pipe) parts. The band – who hail from Rotterdam and are known for their prowess on the live stage – sound somewhat out of context when translated to a studio album. Like the album cover, which shows the group holding invisible instruments, you are left with a sense that something is missing. It plays like music that has been stripped of its setting, failing to capture the life, heat and timbre so characteristic to funaná.

Despite this, Spertador manages to marry together tradition and modernity nicely. The violin solo in ‘Tradição’ adds an original element to the style, while in ‘Fund Cabok’ Tabanka are joined by funaná legend Chando Graciosa, in a nod to the genre's pioneers. But ‘Mama’, featuring Grace Evora, is undoubtedly the apex of the album; here, the essence of funaná is fully realised, inciting that unshakeable urge to dance that first propelled the genre to popularity in the 80s. Tabanka clearly have the energy, enthusiasm and technical delivery needed for this music, but unfortunately Spertador doesn't showcase their talent to its full potential.