TOUBABOU

Rating: 4.5 stars

Nevertheless , a superb release from ProgQuebec. Rush out for it , so they take it as encouragment tofurther on their huge task of releasing the many Quebecois progressive music yet not released on Cd.

Starting out with asuperb percussion track of African inspiration, the album vees into a uch more contemplative Chant Des Choses with Lise Cousineau between melancholic snging and scatting. Grandiose! Then, the "hit" J'Freak Assez (a play on words with Fricassée - scrambled eggs) and its infectious funky groove: very catchy hooks and impressive musicianship with Séguin on percussion driving the group to perfection. A different Ambush than the one on their debut , not as good IMHO but also completed with brass section and Santana percussion break is next. Pylone has (for once) rather irriatating vocals, but quickly deal way by a guitar solo , but it stays one of the weaker Toubabou track. The return of Doudou (leader of the African guest on the debut album) for one track does not do the mistake to sound African for the sake of the continuity of the album. The title track is very melancholic with Cousineau back on the right track . the album closing with anoher strange mix of MalianDesert blues with an Acadian melody that could originate from the Bayous, somewhere in the creole America

Again the Cd version is coming with three video tracks (B&W and of poor quality but so enjoyable anyway) but visible only on a computer. Odd choice! A must for adventurous progheads!!!! As indispensible as their debut although in a different genre.

Toubabou's tracks are your typical jazz-rock track being extendly deveopped byall those Quebec combos during the formidable era of cultural identity revolution ( between 73 and 79 to 81 at most) and Oasis is exactly a textbook case for this style. I do not think a proghead somewhat reticent to jazz sonorities can still be after listening to the sheer beauty of this 10 min track going through all sorts of ambiance and Lise Cousineau's wordless vocals. Toubabou is more electric than say Maneige, Solstice or L' Orchetre Sympathique, but not more so than Sloche , Contraction, Opus-5, Aquarelle and a few others. Ambush is definitely more funky and incorporates African percussion and the huge latino-african precussion break (rather tedious nowadays but back then..) and the obligartory reprise by a super funky bass. This so, four years before Chic.

The more ethnic tracks range from the almost totally ( but rather lenghty)African chants and percussions to a Mali deser blues and developping into a strange Acadian trad folk song in the following track, making the Carignan track sound a bit Cajun music from the Louisiana Bayous. Really worth the detour at leat once. Yama Nekh is a very funky african jazz-rock track with Cousineau singing in African idioms/dalects in duo with another singer. Very impressive indeed!!! The last track is a devil-induced rythms patterns (sometimes sounding like Santana in Soul Sacrifice) with a great searing guitar solo and frantic Fender Rhodes etc.

The Cd release is now coming with two video tracks (B&W and of poor quality but so enjoyable anyway) but visible only on a computer. Odd choice! Although much less even than h following album , I prefer this one because of glimpses of absolute brilliance an adventure Nevertheless this is really an album that gives a meaning to fusion. A must for adventurous progheads!!!!