American audiences have been introduced to African pop music thanks to Talking Heads, Paul Simon’s landmark Graceland album and the hit Broadway musical Fela! With the first U.S. release from Nigeria’s Tal National, fans can now hear homegrown, high-energy dance music from a band so popular in its home country that a second Tal National band was formed (a la Trans-Siberian Orchestra) to meet the demand for live gigs. Fronted by Hamadal “Almeida” Moumine (who has a day gig as a court judge), singing in Zarma and Haossa as well as French, the six-piece group draws from regional music styles including soukous, highlife and Afrobeat, with the resulting fusion an irresistible brand of music that keeps dance floors packed till dawn.
