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Eternity
Alpha Blondy
Reggae - Released May 6, 2022 | Alphalliance
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Forty years after Jah Glory (which launched his career back in 1982), the king of African reggae Alpha Blondy has released his 19th studio album, and it’s clear he still has the same passion for music that he’s always had. Following the tradition he began with his first hit Brigadier Sabari, which denounced police violence, Alpha delivers an album full of protest songs, starting with the single Pompier pyromane, which tackles the war-mongering elite. This song was written four years ago, yet it’s still perfectly in tune with current events in 2022. Accompanied by his loyal group The Solar System—who know him and his style like the back of their hands and add a touch of skank to the rhythm—the Ivorian rants about political class (Elections présidentielles), the migrant crisis (Immigrés (La Méditerranée n'a pas pitié )) and female genital mutilation (Excision (Female Genital Mutilation), with Clinton Fearon). A special mention also goes to his brilliant adaptation of Bob Marley’s Soul Rebel (African Rebel) and the 17-minute long closing track, Epistémicide, on which he criticises the current discourse in Africa using sound extracts of anthropologist Cheikh Anta Diop, Malian politician Aminata Traoré and author Fatou Diome. At 69 years of age, Alpha Blondy has delivered a strong album that proves he has so much more to say. © Smaël Bouaici/Qobuz
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Jah Glory
Alpha Blondy
Reggae - Released January 1, 1982 | Alphalliance
A dynamic early 80s album with Blondy establishing his sound and style. It hasn't yet been released on a US label.© Ron Wynn /TiVo
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Jah Victory
Alpha Blondy
Reggae - Released October 22, 2007 | Alphalliance
Alpha Blondy is well known for his messages of African unity (he hails from the Ivory Coast) and his penchant for singing in multiple languages (including French, Hebrew, and Arabic). Yet it's Blondy’s special sonic blend of traditional roots reggae and African sounds that puts him over, and this fusion is more evident than ever on Jah Victory. While many of the album’s trance-like grooves recall hardcore roots acts like Burning Spear, other tracks such as “Le Bai des Combattus” and “Cameroun” pulse with African rhythms. A reggaefied cover of Pink Floyd’s “Wish You Were Here” adds further flavor.© Anthony Tognazzini /TiVo
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Apartheid Is Nazism
Alpha Blondy
Reggae - Released January 1, 1985 | Alphalliance
While it might be sacrilege in reggae circles to say that any artist could challenge Bob Marley's mastery of the genre, Alpha Blondy fires a dead-on shot literally heard around the world with Apartheid Is Nazism. Furthermore, this work proves that great reggae does not have to come from Jamaica. "Afriki" opens the album with a nod to Jamaica, but while the music is classic, offbeat reggae, there is a strong African feel here, especially in the backing vocals. On every track, the carefully arranged and smartly played music of Blondy's band, the Solar System, tickles the ears with muscular polyrhythms and a variety of stealthily intoxicating percussion. Maneuvering skillfully on top of all of this is Blondy's uniquely plaintive voice. Blondy, like many reggae stars before him, tackles political issues with a dagger wit and thundering basslines. The title track, one of only two songs sung predominantly in English, pleads for America to "break the neck of this apartheid." Like the patois in which Blondy makes his incantations, his religious message is more mixed than the standard reggae paeans to Jah Rastafari. With tracks like "Come Back Jesus" and "Jah Houphouet" on the same album, it's clear that Blondy is attempting to strike a universal theme in the same way Marley did. While Blondy's career can't measure up to Marley when taken as a whole, Apartheid Is Nazism can stand up to most Marley releases.© Matthew Hilburn /TiVo
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Live at Paris Zenith 1992 & Paris Bercy 2000
Alpha Blondy
Reggae - Released January 1, 1993 | Alphalliance
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Yitzhak Rabin
Alpha Blondy
Reggae - Released January 1, 1998 | Alphalliance
Alpha Blondy storms back with his best release since Apartheid Is Nazism. Nothing much has changed stylistically for Blondy, as he is still able to pound out throbbing, international reggae laced with sharp messages of peace, love, and universality. Perhaps in an attempt to avoid some of the experimental failures which plagued other albums, Yitzhak Rabin was recorded at the Tuff Gong studios in Kingston, Jamaica and accompanying vocals were provided by the I-Threes. "Saraka" is an immediate standout, complete with characteristically majestic horns, a feral flute hook, and, of course, Blondy and the I-Threes' mellifluous vocals. These same elements combine seamlessly throughout the entire album and leave great music in their wake. "Bakoroni" and "Les Imbeciles" are other great examples of Blondy at his best. Even the weak ballad "Les Armes de Therese" is saved by his gritty vocals. While Yitzhak Rabin can't be considered a step forward for Blondy, it is a graceful step back to what made him an international star.© Matthew Hilburn /TiVo
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Positive Energy
Alpha Blondy
Reggae - Released May 18, 2015 | Alphalliance
Positive Energy is a title that would have fit many of Alpha Blondy's previous albums, but the West African reggae vocalist's 16th LP does just what it says on the tin, even when it is rebelling. Case in point is the key cut and Tarrus Riley feature "Freedom," which is stern yet smooth as it argues that freedom is a human right. The anthemic call-and-response number "No Brain, No Headache" may wail with "no one understands me" in its lyrics, but it is really a cathartic cry out to console others who are highly empathetic; then "Ingratitude" attacks its namesake attitude with stately horns and angelic background vocals. As usual, Blondy's band, the Solar System, drives the music into more jam-like structures than studio albums usually allow, and the man up front is in fine voice, still able to drive home his emotional moments in full-bodied, Beres Hammond style while softly gliding over the more poignant bits in a way that influenced his earlier guest, Tarrus. If there's any complaint to be made, it's that there's nothing really "new" here -- just more fine songwriting, more spot-on singing, and more positive energy to add to the discography. Start with the Riley cut for a taste, and also check "Rainbow in the Sky" with Ijahman Levi plus the driving and punchy "Madiba M'a Dit," which captures the kinetic energy of the man in concert.© David Jeffries /TiVo
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Je suis venu te dire que je m'en vais
Alpha Blondy
Reggae - Released July 6, 2018 | Alphalliance
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