Yitzhak Rabin

Yitzhak Rabin

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. --<i>Elena Oumano</i>