Akh Issudar

Album Review

If Touareg band Terakaft mine the same territory as Tinariwen, there are several very good reasons, not least of which is that guitarist Diara is the younger brother of Tinariwen's leader, and, as well as similar backgrounds, the two ensembles have shared stages. With just three core members plus two guests, Terakaft is leaner and meaner, but still based in desert blues, and, at times, desert rock (listen to "Intidgagen," which rocks the way the Rolling Stones did in the early '70s). There are acres of space in the music, guitars winding sinuously around the melody, as on the title cut. For much of it, the pace is unhurried, expanding gradually. It's certainly music of the desert, slow burning but intense, sparely beautiful. Although this isn't their debut (that was recorded in 2007), this is their first widely distributed release, and definitely a treat for fans of the desert blues, with the promise of a fine future ahead.