1958

Imagine an African artist with the tenderly subversive touch of Bon Iver, the haunting falsetto of Skip James, the razor-like mind of Akala, and the inventiveness of Moses Sumney. You've just imagined Blick Bassy. Following his acclaimed album « Akö », Bassy delivers 1958, a tribute to the heroes who fought for the independence of his native Cameroun. It's focus is specific, but it's themes - the need for heroes, the relevance of history and the search for true identity - are universal. And the music works like a balm of seductive tenderness and sorrow. With it's back-to-the-future blend of voices and assorted guitars, cello, trumpet, keyboards and trombone, 1958 keeps faith with Bassy's unique style in contemporary African music, fed by his love for the soul of singers like Skip James or Marvin Gaye as much as for the traditional music of Africa. An album to thaw the heart and sharpen the mind.