Tantabara

Recorded with minimal equipment in a makeshift studio in their hometown of Niamey, the third international release from Niger's Tal National is a testament to the band's ingenuity and resourcefulness. At their own nightclub in Niger's capital, they’re famous for playing five-hour non-stop dance parties, and Tantabara makes a pretty fine stab at capturing the energy and euphoria of their live performances. The guitars crank out turbo-charged desert blues riffs sprinkled with elements of highlife, Afrobeat and other West African styles, reflecting the band's varied ethnicities in their Songhai, Hausa and Touareg voices. The eight tracks each feature a different lead vocalist, adding to the diversity, although the impulse to dance remains a common factor.

The opener and title-track tangles breakneck jagged rhythms and keening Hausa female vocals. ‘Belles Reines’ is a showcase for the fast fingers of guitarist Almeida, while ‘Entente’ is a frenetic percussion-heavy romp and ‘Akokas’ is an irresistible blues-rock workout of the kind associated with Amadou & Mariam. There's no let-up in the intensity or the high-octane energy. But if the album is somewhat one-paced, that was clearly the intention: you will dance and refusal will not be allowed.