Search - Tarika Sammy :: Son Egal

Important history lesson set to great rhythm

skak1 | 03/12/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"In March 1947, the French government sent troops from Senegal to crush an uprising in its colony of Madgascar. Estimates claim that perhaps as many as 100,000 inhabitants of the world's 4th largest Island were killed in the crushing of this exile. Torture and rape also featured in these brutalities. The Malagasy have never forgiven the Senegalese for these atrocities committed in the name of France. Tarika set out to discover the truth of these brutalities and used this as the central concept of this album (Son egal, literally 'equal sound', is a play on words with the French word for Senegal). The group discovered that although the troops used to crush their up-rising were called Senegalese they were actually from all over Africa. The album is a plea for reconciliation- should former colonies continue to be divided by violence carried out in the name of the coloniser? is it not time to move on? Even if this and other political messages in the album leave you cold, you will find here a superb range of rhythms and melodies. This is African dance music at its best. Some have compared the group to Bob Marley. Although the style is very different from his reggae there are certain similarities in the emphasis on rhythm and also the up-lifting message of the lyrics which are usually a plea for peace and positive thinking. The liner notes of this album translate most of the songs into English and give interesting explanations of all the songs."

A Rare Jewel

tirouj@hotmail.com | Floida, USA | 05/03/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This CD is one of favorite of all genres. It is filled with wonderful harmonious voices, vaiety of styles and instrumentation, with adequate production. (This can't be said of much music today.) This CD is enough to capture any music lovers attention. C'est tres bien!"

Dancible, and real!

woburnmusicfan | 04/22/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The musicians and singers in the Madagascar band, Tarika, certainly come forward with music of substance in this release. It is dancible, lively and infectious, without being overly pop. The lyrics, while not in English, are serious and usually politically-hard hitting, written in a positive, rather than negative, mode. (The liner notes are comprehensive.) There's nary a bad song on this album. Recommended!"