Tukki

In the Senegalese Wolof language, tukki means ‘travel.’ In 2006, Tukkiman left his native city of Dakar for Paris; since establishing a musical career he has travelled between the French capital, his Senegalese homeland and New York and Chicago in order to explore multiple musical identities. He's certainly a talented musician and his debut recording covers a broad spectrum of music that includes African rhythms, reggae, rap, pop and even guitar-drenched rock.

There was clearly a large investment in studio time on this well-recorded album. Tukkiman makes his initial compositions on an acoustic guitar but the album has multiple layers of string sections, keyboards and rock guitars adorning his songs. The lyrics are mostly in Americanised English and at times his voice and material is reminiscent of both Wyclef Jean and Alpha Blondy. While his lyrics may be sincerely felt, they sometimes tend towards hip-hop clichés, and some of his rhymes are a little clumsy. Despite this, it's a pleasant enough Afro-pop album from an artist with potential.