Cocody Rock!!! (Shanachie, 1988 [orig. released 1984])

I must admit, the name Alpha Blondy has always thrown me a bit.  Even before hearing him, the name made me a bit hesitant (I'm not sure what I expected.).   Luckily, I got over this hang-up, allowing me to benefit from Blondy's entrancing talent.  Hailing from the Ivory Coast, Alpha Blondy (or "First Bandit") is one of the most popular African reggae artists, and not just in Africa.  Those who have heard "Cocody Rock" can see why this was one of his early hits, its bubbly, fun tone sure to get things moving.  For those who, listening to this song, fear that Blondy's sound may be too damn happy, fear not.  Granted, Cocody Rock!!! is more buoyant than a lot of his later material (e.g., Apartheid Is Nazism), but tunes like "Interplanetary Revolution" and "Super Powers" -- perhaps the best track here, along with the heartfelt "Tere" -- have a harder, funkier edge ("Super Powers" displays a nice '80s synth sound.) and a more militant message.  Blondy's voice sometimes sounds like a frog sucking on helium, but it's appealing in its uniqueness, and his simple call-and-response melodies, along with the adept instrumentation of his backing musicians (a mix of his fellow Africans and well-known Jamaicans like Earl "Wire" Lindo, Earl "Chinna" Smith, and Dennis Bovell, as part of the album was recorded in Paris and part in Jamaica) combine to make Cocody Rock!!! a pleasure, brief as it may be.

Apartheid Is Nazism (Shanachie, 1988 [orig. released 1985])

Alpha Blondy's first album on an American label, Apartheid Is Nazism is at once both scorching and peaceful, brutal and beautiful.  Blondy has tapped into that rare soothing righteousness that few artists -- Ijahman and The Abyssinians, to name a couple -- have been able to harness.  This balance between fiery, political, cultural lyrics and icy cool, atmospheric music and vocals carries Apartheid to great heights, bolstered even further by the unique African element that Blondy adds.  Listeners like me who aren't big fans of African music shouldn't fear that this album has African influences; it is first and foremost reggae, but with an African twist -- with African drums and a mix of languages, from English to French to Arabic to Hebrew, that typifies African nations.  Since Jamaican reggae has adopted African elements, African reggae makes sense.  Indeed, many times the freshest examples of a genre come from outside its traditional circle, where experimentation isn't stifled by tradition.  Apartheid contains strong yet accessible roots throughout, featuring a great live-band sound that is more and more rare these days.  "Jah Houphouet," for example, showcases a jazzy guitar over its slow, funky rhythm, while the dubbish "Kiti" has a funky electric guitar, and on "Sahel," you can feel the horns, sax, guitar, and African drums.  Also nice are "Afriki," "Come Back Jesus," "Sebe Allah Y'e," and the title track.

The Best of Alpha Blondy (Shanachie, 1990)

Featuring tracks taken from 5 of his first albums, this collection goes a long way to proving one thing: Alpha Blondy did his best, most consistent work early in his career, on Apartheid Is Nazism and Cocody Rock!!!.  Of course, I haven't heard all of his albums, but the material here from Rasta Poue, Jerusalem, and Revolution, while solid, is somewhat inferior to the that from the other two sets.  The tracks aren't the stunning, haunting pieces that permeate Apartheid and Cocody Rock!!!; in comparison, they're rather ordinary.  Only the measured, bluesy "Jerusalem" and the funky "Brigadier Sabari" stand out much.   Most of the best of The Best of Alpha Blondy comes from Apartheid and Cocody -- "Afriki," "Apartheid Is Nazism," "Cocody Rock," and "Come Back Jesus"  -- but the rest are decent enough to grow on you.  Still, the presence of "Tere" and "Interplanetary Revolution," two of my favorites, would've helped.  Overall, Apartheid and Cocody are better albums than this, Blondy's "best."

The Best of Alpha Blondy (World Pacific, 1995)

When choosing between World Pacific's Best of Alpha Blondy and Shanachie's Best of Alpha Blondy, it really depends on what you want.  Shanachie's album has a more traditional, laid-back roots reggae sound, while World Pacific's is high-energy with distinct Afro-pop leanings.  Tracks like "Banana," "Sweet Fanta Diallo," and "Rendez-Vous" are so upbeat and sugary, they might initially drive away the more hardcore roots fans, but if you give them a chance, they eventually prove infectious nonetheless.  Still, although I'd recommend the Shanachie collection to traditional roots fans, one benefit of  the World Pacific album is its inclusion of "Masada," a wonderfully funky roots jam that ranks among Blondy's all-time best.

Yitzhak Rabin (Lightyear, 1998)

*GUEST REVIEW*
When I first came across this album back in 2000, I was just getting into reggae and didn't know much. By this time, the Zionistic relationship of reggae to Israel made sense in light of Rastafarian teachings. But an album named after Yitzhak Rabin seemed a little over the top. Though a little put off, I was too intrigued to pass over it. Indeed, the title track is pretty ridiculous: "Yitzhak Rabin no dead (he no deado), Rabin is alive (heeeee's a-liiiiive!)" this is a response to a Hebrew verse meaning "The God of Hosts is not dead". I think I understand what Blondy is trying to do here. Rabin was moving the peace process ahead, and his assassination pit the country into further divisiveness. On the other hand, Rabin was a part of Babylon. Blondy, notorious for his sensitive pacifist rhetoric, rarely passes judgment on anyone, so the message is not a political one, but merely one of peace. Rabin is for Blondy a metaphor for the peace brought by faith in God. The song is pretty damn powerful if you can get over the unnerving cheesiness of it, though. The majority of the album is terrific. "New Dawn," a track in English, is a laid-back call of moving forward and is very inspirational. "Assinie Mafia" is in a language I don't know, but the melody is reminiscent of something you might here on Apartheid Is Nazism. Actually, I think this is his best album since then, and several of the tracks sound like a vamped-up return to that sound. My favorite track on the album is "Lalogo," a horn and bass song in some other language. The beat and melody just get me. In fact, all tracks are recommended except the boring and campy "Hypocrite." Other standouts are "Guerre Civile" and "Armee Francaise."

- Trammell Scruggs