Derek Blackmon 
Indie-Music.com
OK. I have to disclose that lately I’ve really been sinking my teeth into World Music. Maybe it’s just that my disenfranchised American attitude has finally cleansed my palate for the sounds of other lands. (See? We don’t all support George W. Bush!) With that aside, the only problem I’ve found with Raquy and the Cavemen is quite simply: Nothing. I know that’s a very lame slight, but seriously, that’s how captivating their sound is.
Collecting almost an hour's worth of Middle Eastern-based sounds on Jordan, her latest release on Meef Records, Raquy Danziger has a knack for creating deep, rhythmic beats and making it palatable for the layman. Danziger, a percussionist, who is a lifelong devotee to the Middle Eastern Dumbek, creates a dense, organic sound that makes John Bonham seem a trifle boring. With some added grooves from Liron Peled on guitars, percussions and the Moog synthesizer as well as a sextet that features instruments from various regions of the Middle East, Asia and Africa, the group en masse forms a collective sound that makes the drumming portion of a Grateful Dead show seem like an opportune time to get a fresh beer and buy some souvenirs.
This isn’t the kind of music you throw on at a party to impress your friends. This goes a bit deeper than that. These sounds frame peaceful moments of reflective soul-searching for the individual. Granted your friends may very well dig it (and I hope they do!) but in the midst of these rhythms, you can’t have a conversation about how bad your job is and pound Jager Bombs.
The more volume I put behind this, the more earth-shaking and powerful it felt. And the more I loved it.
The press release that arrived with the CD indicated Raquy and the Cavemen are somewhat familiar to the Greenwich Village scene, which was extremely reassuring, considering this is the neighborhood that spawned the likes of Bob Dylan, Dave Van Ronk and Phil Ochs, among countless others of the 60s Folk movement. So someone in the know is aware of the talent here.
Before you rush out to buy the latest genre-bending release from your new favorite artist, give this one a shot. Head to your local record store and buy it, request it, or demand it with a peacefully clenched fist.