Alpha Blondy - Yitzhak Rabin (1998)

1 - New dawn

2 - Yitzhak rabin

3 - Assinie mafia

4 - Les imbéciles

5 - Armée Française

6 - Hypocrites

7 - Guerre civile

8 - Saraka

9 - Les larmes de Therèse

10 - Lalogo

11 - Maïmouna

12 - Bakôrôni

The seeds scattered by reggae's avatars seem to have flourished in Africa while heavy weeding is in order when it comes to contemporary Jamaican product. Platinum-dreadlocked, Ivory Coast reggae superstar Alpha Blondy returns from his long absence with a rich, impeccably-produced album (released by Tuff Gong, the label founded by Bob Marley and now owned by daughter Cedella), featuring a title track that transcends Black-Jewish and Arab-Israeli antagonism and is the subject of heated controversy in Israel. In the early '80s, Blondy used to bumrush NYC club stages to perform Bob Marley covers. Despite personal problems, a few years later, he was indeed hailed as the successor to Bob's throne. It could happen again. Blondy doesn't settle here for a retrospective glow; he rekindles reggae's fire. --Elena Oumano