Terrakota - Oxala - World / Reggae - CD

Since 2006, Terrakota have forged their own pan-African and trans-Atlantic roots-world-kota sound, a style that has travelled the world, always looking for musical fusions within the multi-ethnic cauldron: Afro-Brazilian rhythms, soukouss, reggae, Afro-beat, gnawa, with influences from India and beyond. On their sixth studio album Oxalá, the band embrace their Portuguese roots while diving more deeply into their rock influences. Terrakota's first albums were inspired by travels to Burkina Faso, Senegal, Mali, Guinea, while also incorporating influences from Latin America. The fourth album is clearly marked by their trip to India. Oxalá is inspired by an internal travel, giving light to Portuguese songs built on top of their Afro-explosive melting pot. Africa remains the main source, the starting point from where the band looks for the perfect alchemy to get to their trademark modern roots sound, where all borders, distances and barriers are wiped out. The darkest pages of human history somehow fascinate Terrakota, following the ancient trade routes, but turned upside-down, from the new world back to Africa, drinking from the fantastic musical diversity that has been spread around the world through slavery. On this sixth album, the leaders of the Portuguese Afro/world/fusion scene have again invited guests to make the music even richer, special people with whom the band has a privileged relationship: traditional Alentejo singer Vitorino, Indian singer Mahesh Vinayakram, French rapper Florian Doucet, beat-maker and producer Beat Laden, Kumpania Algazzara's horn section, and backing vocals by the Lisbon-based Selma Uamusse (Mozambique) and Anastácia Carvalho (Angola), without forgetting a brilliant text by the Angolan rapper Luaty Ikonoklasta. After parting ways with vocalist Romi and two sabbaticals, Terrakota has added fresh blood with the young and talented singer/multi-instrumentalist Gonçalo Sarmento, the gracious performer/dancer Diana Rego, as well as new drummer Márcio Pinto and percussionist Paulo das Cavernas. These new elements and the extra years of travelling for the veterans have brought Terrakota to an even more mature sound, with concise lyrics and the guts to do some songwriting in addition to their explosive Afro-world sound. The Portuguese globetrotters have reached new highs with Oxalá. Comes in a four-panel digipak sleeve and includes a 28-page booklet.

• OXALA
• World / Reggae
• Zephyrus Records