DAARA J
BOOMERANG (Wrass 105)

Regular readers know I consider French rap to be one of the tortures of Hell so I amazed myself by enjoying the latest release from Daara J called BOOMERANG. (They missed a great opportunity to call it Daara J. BOOM D.A.) The group is from Senegal which has over 3000 rap groups, so I guess it's the happening thing. It's not all good but the first two tracks really impressed me and it's the first time I have listened to an entire album of African hippy-hoppy more than once. Of course I do tend to shut out the rapping parts but the arrangments are more than interesting. "Bomerang" is good and the next track "Esperenza" is catchy. Track three is where I begin to have problems. A pastiche of Bob Marley lyrics is not a reasonable excuse for a song, but then it's probably all the English they know and it's a lot more than any Senegalese I could muster. By track 8, "Hip hop civilization," it becomes quite irritating. There's a reprise of "Esperanza" featuring Cuban maverick toaster Sergent Garcia, which serves to confirm that it is the best track on here. If you buy an album for one or two tracks check this out, otherwise wait for it to appear on a compilation.