TIKEN JAH FAKOLY

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Review written by Sébastien Jobart on Tuesday, June 10th 2014 - 9 997 views We see him with an enormous megaphone on the cover, surrounded by children in a street in Bankoni, a working-class district of Bamako. "Dernier Appel" is addressed to Africans, I am asking them to take their responsibilities", Tiken told us in an interview. A message he has not stopped repeating since his debut. It is already more than ten years since he won a Victoire de la musique for his album "Françafrique". Like its predecessors, "Dernier Appel" is a fresh assault from the tireless agitator, warning of the situation in Africa and urging people to take charge of their destiny. Even if "Dernier Appel" is the work of the same team (producer included) as the previous album, "African Revolution" (a gold record in France), it marks a return to a punchy, direct reggae. That said, Tiken Jah Fakoly does not deprive himself of the African colour so marked on "African Revolution": balafon, sokou, kora or kamélé n'goni join big bass, horns and skank, with a very welcome depth: the fans from the early days will surely appreciate this refocusing. "This is the last call for flight Africa": it is with this powerful slogan that the album opens on the title track, Dernier Appel, co-written with his friend Mike d'Inca (Sinsemilia). Horns and guitars converge for this repatriation order, delivered with conviction. "We Africans all want paradise but nobody wants to pay the price", Tiken declares on Le prix du paradis, in a tone as peremptory as the bass line. These familiar themes can sometimes give the feeling of going round in circles. L'Afrique ("When Africa wakes up, it will hurt") does not avoid the impression of déjà-vu - in better form - on "Coup de Gueule" (Ca va faire mal). Conversely, when he takes up Tata from his album "Cours d'Histoire" (in 1999), this superb tribute to the mother of his daughter is magnified by its guitar / percussion / balafon reorchestration. As if to underline the imperative of coming together, four tracks on "Dernier Appel" call on reinforcements, where "African Revolution" offered none. Diaspora embodies the reconciliation with big brother Alpha Blondy, who returns the favour after Tiken's appearance on the album "Mystic Power", on this emblematic track in which the two artists call on the diaspora (in English) to play its part in transforming the continent. The duets with Patrice (Too Much Confusion and its violins) and Nneka (Human Thing, with its laboured chorus) say no different. Tiken even brings the two together on the cover of Max Romeo's medley, which linked his hit War ina Babylon with Give Peace a Chance, John Lennon's pacifist hymn. These duets sung in English could add to the international resonance of this latest tome from a tireless activist. Tiken dreams that one day, Africa will refuse visas to Westerners. Until then, there is no harm in dreaming along with him. Pull Up : Tata Dernier appel Le prix du paradis

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