June 18, 2010

Here is another refreshing turn on the road that takes us to the rich land of Africa and the alluring sounds of bassist/guitarist/vocalist/producer Francis Mbappe as he dances forward with his latest release, Peace Is Freedom, a truly alive piece of work.

The opening and title track easily captures the texture of Mbappe’s spirit as it boldly enters on a horn-laden rhythmic wave of joyous sound. “Freedom” is quite the representative title for the song. He follows that with a very melodic slow-to-mid-tempo track, “Wonderful Love,” that just cascades over one in warmth and flavor.

The artist gives the Latin touch a try with “Esquina Latina,” and the result is a bouncy, spicy track that proves Mbappe found the mark. Sassy sax work here, as well. More funk and exotic rhythm are found on “Lion Kola,” another piece that speaks volumes to the soul just through its music. By the way, wonderful phrasings run throughout this project and they truly accentuate the significance of great horns which add a nice polish to this production.

Jazz influences are quite evident in “Ewussu,” which transitions back and forth between the exoticism of African color and the solid and intriguingly structured jazz runs. The added touch of the well-played guitar riff is icing on the cake here.

The manner in which timing is handled on this album, particularly on tracks like “Bikutsi” and “Loko La Betanu,” is most commendable. This is amateur effort by any stretch of the imagination. Speaking of imagination, that happens to be one of the things that this album has in abundance, along with creativity and presence.

Mbappe does a fine, fine job of putting forth this music’s best foot. For those just tuning in to these vibrant sounds, Mbappe is certainly more than qualified to lead you along that wonderful road, and Peace Is Freedom is as nice a place to start as any. — Ronald Jackson