One look at the lineage of Terakaft will tell you immediately that these are some of the progenitors of the Tuareg Desert Blues sound and when you match founding members of Tinariwen with wunderkind Justin Adams on producer duties the result can hardly be less than magical. And so it proves – from the opening rhythms and chants to the last fade this is a magical trip into the deeps.
The music has, at its heart, pounding rhythms and a shuffling beat set against call and response vocals and guitar lines that snake in and out, emphasising and underpinning the groove.
They hail from Mali and over 5 albums the band has seen their original hopes and dreams broken and left in a blizzard of lies but it feels as though they have emerged in a more stable place, less of the dreams and more rooted in the reality of Saharan life, less poetic and more focused and clear-minded but they somehow retain the mystic magic and the ability to draw the listener deeply into the song, letting them out as the song fades.
The band’s leader, Diara, says of the political developments in his homeland “There are too many characters in the picture, too many chiefs and not enough people” and this has blunted his political stance but added a lyricism to his guitar playing and he and his nephew Sanou are the heart of Terakaft, giving the music the organic feel that can only be found where blood meets blood.
The album is a constantly evolving delight; every time through the music seems to give the listener something more, something unheard and it is almost impossible to get to the bottom of what they are doing in one listen – perseverance has its rewards.
