Ya Foy!

Personnel: Lamine Fellah (vocals, keyboards, programming); Tito Proaño (vocals, keyboards); Albert Watson , Isidro García, Max McLarry, Revelino Aguidissou, Max Epstein, Toots Hibbert, Blanquito Man (vocals); Pablo Estrella (guitar); Cristian Hidrobo (saxophone); Francisco Estrazulas (keyboards).
Recording information: Anchor Studios, Kingston, Jamaica; Equilibrio Records, Quito, Ecuador; Ozland Studios.
When you've been born in Algeria, lived in various African and European countries, followed by Canada, before settling in Ecuador, you need an international musical language to communicate. In the case of Sarazino (the nom de musique of Lamine Fellah) that's reggae. He does a very good job with it, too. It's always there at the root of the songs, but often just part of the overall sound, as with "Nadia," which also includes an Andalusian feel to transport it across oceans. It's very much a multi-national affair, with an African vocalist (the excellent Revelino Aguidissou) who features on most of the tracks, along with guest appearances from the legendary Toots Hibbert, who brings real reggae authenticity to "People," and King Chango's Blanquito Man, offering his toasting talents on "Mundo Babilon 2." With a full, rich sound that's never crowded, Sarazino can be compared to Manu Chao, who similarly uses a Jamaican offbeat as propulsion for his music. This is a fully developed, very appealing and distinctive sound, led from the back by Fellah's own keyboards.