Blondy, like many reggae stars before him, tackles political issues with a dagger wit and thundering basslines. Maneuvering skillfully on top of all of this is Blondy's uniquely plaintive voice. On every track, the carefully arranged and smartly played music of Blondy's band, the Solar System, tickles the ears with muscular polyrhythms and a variety of stealthily intoxicating percussion. "Afriki" opens the album with a nod to Jamaica, but while the music is classic, offbeat reggae, there is a strong African feel here, especially in the backing vocals. Furthermore, this work proves that great reggae does not have to come from Jamaica. While it might be sacrilege in reggae circles to say that any artist could challenge Bob Marley's mastery of the genre, Alpha Blondy fires a dead-on shot literally heard around the world with Apartheid Is Nazism.
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