Tiken Jah Fakoly unplugged
Not only prolific but committed too, the Ivorian artist is back with an album featuring acoustic versions of his own compositions. A genuine triumph!
AM: It's no easy task, revisiting songs from your own repertoire, from ‘Plus rien ne m'étonne’ to ‘Justice’.
Tiken Jah Fakoly: Even though these are songs I wrote a while ago, I was really excited when I was recording them, because I've always dreamt of making an acoustic album. I've been talking about it for years. It really is a dream to be able to let one's voice take centre stage, and with it the lyrics... The timbre lords it over all the instruments. I can't wait to bring these rearranged songs to life on the upcoming tour!
We hear voices other than yours on 'Acoustic'. How did you imagine these duets?
TIKEN JAH FAKOLY, Acoustic, Chapter Two Records/Wagram Music. On tour throughout France from March. In concert at Salle Pleyel on November 13 and 14, 2024.DR
Depending on the vibrancy of the track to be revisited! On ‘Les Martyrs’, the performance by the rapper Tiggs Da Author is extraordinary. I also really wanted to invite the Brazilian singer Chico César, whom I like a lot, and the Jamaican roots reggae artist Horace Andy, whom I met back in the late 1990s. His voice is exceptional. I also wanted to work with Naâman, who is part of the new generation of French reggae singers. There's also Tapa, great Malian singer Kandia Kouyaté's heiress, on the track ‘Alou Mayé’, Bernard Lavilliers, an old friend whom I respect a lot, and M, who's always full of ideas...
How does 'Acoustic' tie in with your roots, both geographical and musical?
The instruments we use come from West Africa. The balafon, the kora, the n'goni... These are the sounds of my childhood and teenage years, because my parents listened to Mandingo music. 'Acoustic' is an album that shows where I come from, while also retracing my career through the songs that feature on it. And I'm very happy with the result!