Filentre - Inou Wali (Self-published/Dibyz Music)

After a number of successful tours in West Africa, Filentre developed a warm bond with the African continent, something he now wanted to give musical expression to with this new album. The singer does this lyrically, with songs like 'Là-bas' or 'Seulement Vivre', in which he talks about the motives and fate of the numerous African refugees and the way in which we continue to treat them, as well as musically, by using traditional instruments like Sidiki Diabate's kora in 'De Là-haut', in which Filentre dreams of a better world without borders, or the gourd percussion and tama/talking drum of Soungalo Diarra in the aforementioned 'Seulement Vivre' and again in 'Inou Wali'. Icing on the cake are 'La Marche' (in which Filentre perfectly captures the present state of affairs with one protest march following the other conveying a general sense of dissatisfaction and insecurity) and 'Humain' (on what it means to be human and daring to show your humanity to others), duets with West African reggae stars Tiken Jah Fakoly and Takana Zion. For most of the tracks on 'Inou Wali' Filentre sticks to the language of Molière, and when he switches to English, like for 'Little Song' or 'Sadness', he does sound a little less convincing. Filentre concludes with the intimate acoustic 'Inou Wali', the title track of the album, in which he thanks the Africans for the warm welcome and home away from home they've offered him time and again. Heartwarming tribute from a French reggae artist to his second home.