School of life

All great family stories are marked by rivalry and conflict as well as profound coherence. The last seven years in the life of the Daara J family have been turbulent. After the dizzying success of Boomerang and years of intensive touring, one of the Daara J brothers absconded, leaving the two most talented members to find a new voice and rebuild the musical home. School of Life has been eagerly awaited: its release had been announced several times, only to be pushed back again and again. The duo's small acoustic appearances in Dakar weren't particularly encouraging. Now, suddenly the record is out. And it's great: tight, innovative, and as smooth as a cocktail sipped at a Dakar sunset. It's a kick in the backside to all those who doubted that two brothers on their own could forge a sound that pushes Senegal's hip-hop scene forward, while pushing anyone who loves a good groove onto the dance floor. The rougher edges of Dakar's street sounds have been smoothed out with a gloss of well-produced pop. Faada Freddy and Ndongo D have brought back musical ingredients from everywhere they visited during years of playing thousands of concerts all over the globe, and they add them carefully to beautifully composed songs and well thought out arrangements. You don't need to be a fan of African music or hip-hop to love this record. An ear for great music and hips for swaying are enough. The ballad ‘Temps Boy’ is a song so strong it might just change the rhythm of Dakar life.