*** Tarika

SON EGAL

(Xenophile)

In the ongoing competition between Madagascar's best-known traditional pop combos -- Tarika and Tarika Sammy -- this group has just upped the ante. Working with British producer Simon Emerson and with two members of Baaba Maal's Senegalese juggernaut, Tarika have made a record that stays with their rootsy, acoustic sound palette while branching out rhythmically, pumping on some songs, relaxing into dreamy spaces on others.

Don't expect electronics and dance-pop trappings. This fusion is subtle. Emerson boosts the bass to balance the jangle of plucked strings here. "Tsy Kivy" starts things out in a rowdy bass-driven romp. "Avelo" edges into minor-key rock ballad territory without sacrificing rhythmic momentum. Malagasy rhythms can climb to hyperactive tempos, and here they provide vehicles for some riveting breaks by the group's excellent string players. But some of the best moments come in the slow songs, like the luminous title track, a commemoration of colonial government massacres carried out by Senegalese soldiers 50 years ago. These Malagasy and Senegalese musicians recall, and poignantly transcend, that history. Son Egal has adrenaline, heart, nerve, and brains. An Afropop milestone.

-- Banning Eyre