Jiw

It took eight years of personal introspection and musical exploration for the Dakar-based Sahad Sarr to bring out his debut album. Its Serer title, translating as ‘Seed’, is a play on words with Sahad's own name (meaning ‘Harvest’) and Jiw offers rich pickings from one of Senegal's more thoughtful artists. The dynamic composer infuses his powerful metallic-tinged voice into a truly diverse range of sounds, making the wait well worthwhile. Jiw's 13 songs takes listeners on an ambitious voyage that combines Afrobeat, Mandingo and Serer melodies, Fulani instrumentation, Wolof rhythms and jazz-rock. Most songs take off endearingly, notably ‘Irafama’, featuring Souleymane Diamanka's poignant slam poetry. Others are more tendentious, notably a bizarre mix with the Hebrew vocals of Noga Ritter for ‘Faagaagal’. But Sahad justifies the accolades he has been accumulating this past year (reaping international awards like top prize at Le Rêve Africain and Tunisia's JMC festival, as well as spots at MIDEM and Visa for Music). The lyrics are politically engaged in the Fela Kuti mode, socially motivated for Senegal's youth and sprightly enough to light up any party.