Brooklyn's 14-member collective Antibalas offers what is easily one of the best live shows around; pulsating energy radiates from the stage. The socially conscious group's name translates as "bulletproof" (literally, "antibullets"), but the musicians fire off lines with military precision. Their sound, while obviously indebted to legends like Parliament and James Brown, is so totally saturated with the spirit of Fela Kuti's Afro-beat that their music would sound as natural in Lagos, Nigeria, as it does in New York. But so often a band is better live than on record, and (scarily enough) the reverse is frequently true as well. Thankfully, Talkatif confirms the promise of Antibalas's earlier record Liberation Afro Beat, Vol. 1--that this band is as solid on record as it is live. The equally welcome news is that this follow-up sounds as fresh and vital as the first disc, although the formula is largely unchanged except for the increased emphasis on instrumentals. The only problem with Talkatif is its length. Clocking in at a shade under 41 minutes, Talkatif gets the party started, but doesn't run nearly long enough to truly satisfy. Even so, it's a must-have, especially as a between-shows fix. --Anastasia Tsioulcas