Alpha Blondy's position in the history of reggae music is a direct reflection of his physical distance from the island of Jamaica. Born in the Ivory Coast, his music is the product of a wider cultural scope than his Jamaican counterparts, a fact evident in the music itself. Before discovering reggae in college, Blondy had absorbed the rock music popular in the United States during the '60s and '70s. Eventually choosing music as his calling and reggae as his medium, the singer proceeded to    [ read more ]

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Despite heated protests from his parents, Alpha Blondy abandoned his studies in education to establish himself as a singer, a move influenced by his discovery of the Rastafarian faith and the music of international reggae star Bob Marley. A longtime dream was fulfilled in 1986 when, five years after Marley's death, the singer's backing band, the Wailers, supplied the rhythms for Blondy's third album. Recorded in Jamaica, Jerusalem remains one of Blondy's most satisfying song collecti   [ read more ]

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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 arrang   [ read more ]

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C(te d'Ivoire-native Alpha Blondy has probably reached more fans internationally than any other reggae artist. That his Jamaican-based style is also heavily infused with African elements certainly helps with mass appreciation worldwide, especially on his own continent and in Europe. Further bolstering his wide appeal, Blondy sings in French, English, and his native tongue. Masada, his eighth release since debuting in 1982, bears the sunny roots sound heard on most of his albums. Ranging from    [ read more ]

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Alpha Blondy's 1983 first album, a smash hit featuring an all-local band the Natty Rebels, had all the accessibility and directness that made him an international star. Two cuts are agreeable reggae in English; the rest is Afro-reggae and a lot more interesting for that. In some ways Blondy's music is typical of the Ivory Coast: light, accomplished, and geared to a regional rather than local audience. Though the notes don't tell you so, Cocody Rock is a re-release of Blondy's 1984 second albu   [ read more ]

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Since picking up the stylistic torch laid down when Bob Marley died in 1981, Alpha Blondy has had a rather strange career, one marked by significant commercial success worldwide even as the Jamaican market has looked at him somewhat askance. With Merci, Blondy celebrates his 20th anniversary as an international reggae star by going into the studio to record for the first time in four years, and he sounds as strong as ever. There are no surprises here: He still specializes in an aggressively o   [ read more ]

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