Zoy zoy

"Kaani was a joyful barrage of traditional Hausa and Zarma vocals, soukous guitars, reggae synths, and percussion, all rolled up into a decidedly rock aesthetic ... On their second-ever international release, Zoy Zoy, they build on Kaani and amplify everything to the nth degree ... The music is colorful and bright and dizzying. It recalls the energy and wall-of-sound quality of Konono No 1, except more frenzied and texturally varied. Tal National are masters of lightning-speed time changes too, able to lock into a slower bluesy guitar solo as easily as an impromptu mbalax dance break".

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"After breaking onto the international stage with their 2013 release Kaani, West African combo Tal National follow up with the dazzlingly sophisticated Zoy Zoy. Based in Niamey, the capital of Niger, Tal National blend an array of styles like highlife, Songhai, Afro-beat, and desert blues into their music, ultimately transcending traditions and flashing the kind of intense musicianship only achieved by those who gig every night for hours on end, which is purportedly the norm for this gifted band ... More aggressively played and weirdly shape-shifting than its predecessor, Zoy Zoy is also a joyous and celebratory set using its complexity to draw in rather than exclude the listener".

"Fans of the Niger-based band's previous international release (...) will be delighted this one makes no more sense: the musicians still play rumba, high life and a myriad other African guitar styles almost simultaneously, songs leaping borders without warning. So rhythmically dense (...), the band refer to their sound as "very rock'n'roll". Can't argue".

"Niger's Tal National formed in 2000 and is an institution in its homeland, honing its fiery performances in marathon concerts. 'Zoy Zoy' is its second international release, and it is brilliant. African music is known for its rhythmic complexity, but the way this band locks together is uncommon everywhere".