Le Monde est Chaud

The Ivory Coast's Moussa Doumbia has been singing reggae under the name Tiken Jah Fakoly for more than 25 years. He sports dreadlocks and wraps himself in the iconography of Rastafarianism and yet remains a Muslim. He smokes marijuana but moralistically discourages others from doing so. Such intriguing contradictions and his willingness to fuse roots reggae rhythms with traditional West African instruments make him one of Africa's most interesting reggae artists.

This, the 11th album of his career, was recorded in Abidjan, a symbolic return to the country of his birth, from which he had been in exile since 2003 following death threats for his outspoken songs about the corruption of African politicians. The title-track is a no-holds-barred assault on the inaction of the world's leaders over global warming. ‘Dieu Nous Attend’ combines echoing dub rhythms with the haunting sound of the one string Wassoulou fiddle known as a sokou, and ‘Libya’ features the kora of Mamadi Diabaté. ‘Pourquoi Nous Fuyons?’, a plea to African youth not to emigrate, features the earthy strings of the ngoni over a skanking Jamaican groove, as does ‘No No No’, a hypnotic protest song that derives its inspiration equally from Bob Marley and Fela Kuti. Righteous stuff.