C'est tres, tres cool! (Le Tour De La Question - MC Solaar)

Member Name: miriamb

Product:	Le Tour De La Question - MC Solaar
Date:	20/07/02 (129 review reads)
Rating:

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Ten years ago I was introduced to a French rap artist by the name of MC Solaar. The album in question was called Qui Seme le Vente Recolte le Tempo and I remember being pretty impressed by the slick, jazzy hip hop that was unlike anything I’d heard before. I’m not a great fan of this style, but I clearly recollect thinking… oh, this is good. Completely different to the grating, bassier NWA and Public Enemy I’d been exposed to previously, MC Solaar was much smoother, more melodic, altogether a more complete musical experience. Think of maybe a more mature Cypress Hill, minus the playground rhymes and annoying vocals.

But that was then. To my shame I didn’t followed him up until recently. I was actually looking up some info about a Senegalese vocalist called Baaba Maal, who you may or may not have heard of - but anyway, that’s incidental to this op. Whilst clicking around the net, I came across a review of MC Solaar, who is also Senegalese in origin, and decided to become re-acquainted. While I was waiting for my purchase to arrive, I was reading around Dooyoo and found an op that briefly described MC Solaar as ‘bland’. The inspiration for this op is primarily my answer to that description. No offence meant whatsoever – if the author of the op in question is reading – just an alternative viewpoint… ;)

~ BACKGROUND INFO ~

MC Solaar was born in Senegal, but moved to Paris very early in his childhood, where he later recorded several tightly-produced studio albums. Remaining on the funkier side of the musical spectrum, using carefully and appropriately chosen samples to punctuate, and introducing melodies that allow some of the French language rap-led tracks to quite legitimately be called ‘songs’, Solaar is in a league of his own. In my humble opinion, anyway!

Le Tour de la Question (1998) is to date his only live album, and includes tracks fr
om the four previous albums, Qui Seme le Vente Recolte le Tempo, Prose Combat, Paradisiaque, and the self titled MC Solaar. Each of these studio albums has its high points, and each is impeccably produced, but Le Tour de la Question adds an entirely new dimension to his reach as an artist.

~THE FORMAT~

This is a double CD containing a total of 15 tracks (and just over 90 minutes) and follows a live performance on 11 May 1998 at the Olympia in Paris. The packaging is very neat, the two discs are held in the front and back covers of a small hardback ‘book’, rather than the standard one or two CD cases. The ‘book’ contained within consists of 24 pages, primarily composed of a page per track, with accompanying photos of the artist performing live and a snippet of lyrics. The pics are suitably stylised for the music, helping to draw you into the live experience from the comfort of your own home.

~ THE TRACKS ~

As mentioned above, the 15 tracks are essentially the highlights of the previous albums. Of these, numbers to listen out for are:

On Disc 1

#3 ‘A dix de mes disciples’. Bass heavy yet surprisingly jazzy, with the occasional brass moment, feel-good guitars, urban scratches and a ridiculously catchy chorus, seeing as it’s in French! A mid-tempo and very funky little number designed to make you shake that booty.

#5 ‘La concubine de l’hemoglobine’. The incessant sound of this track is counterbalanced by (almost) screeching guitars and a bluesy female vocal at the chorus, almost reminiscent of something Pink Floyd would turn out. For the main part, Solaar raps his heart out in an intense and desperate number. The final minute of this four and a half-minute track combines all elements to great effect.

#7 ‘Que seme le vent recolte la tempo’. An overtly party number. The rap never falls out of time, the female v
ocal is impeccable, and the bass guitar pulls the whole thing together. The use of real instruments on this track transforms it from the supercool studio sound of its original incarnation to a fantastically touchy-feely number, and is all the better for it.

#10 ‘Caroline’. The closest rap can come to a ballad. This just oozes intensity of emotion, the sliding guitar, the sincere rap, the downtempo beats, the breathy female vocal. The accompanying ‘book’ provides several lines (in French, mind) of text: in the springtime, two lovers played like children, and he loves her a bit, very much, passionately. Awwww. Sadly my French isn’t good enough to decipher whether the rap is past or present tense – so it’s either love lost or a simple declaration of love. Either way it’s a lovely track. Enjoy.

And from Disc 2

#3 ‘Nouveau western’. Solaar’s take on the Serge Gainsbourg classic ‘Bonnie and Clyde’. The wonderful guitar riff and chord structure rolls in the background, providing an excellent backdrop for Solaar’s smooth-as-silk voice. If you’ve heard United Future Organisation’s ‘Good Luck Shore’, imagine those cool grooves overlaid with tight rap rhymes. Lovely stuff.

#5 ‘Bouge de la’. A real dancehall feel to this one, with a nice call and response dialogue between Solaar and an unidentified female vocalist. The guitars, keyboard and drums intertwine to create a really bouncy, summery sound. This is one track in which the call and response technique is used to full effect with the audience. Nice touch.

#6 ‘Victime de la mode’. This has a more 70’s stylee laid-back disco-cool atmosphere, head-noddingly good. The drums and guitars again come into their own here, enabling a real crowd-pleaser, evidence of which is the enthusiastic audience participation.

#9
‘Galaktika’. This is another up-beat track, and features a perfectly executed and soul-inspired female vocal chorus. Solaar is as crisp and charismatic as ever, and the freestyle finale to this track with his rap and the beautiful vocal really captures what you’d expect from a really good live act.

#13 ‘Le temps changent’. The finale to the set, this is a real uplifting number, starting off light as a feather, and building to a floor filler par excellence (dya see what I did there?) The unidentified female is back for some more soul action, the crowd is loving it, the guitar plays a tidy riff at regular intervals, the drums play up to the crescendo, and you’re left wanting more! I only wish I’d been there myself. Never mind, I have the CD and I can pretend :)

~ OVERALL SOUND ~

This isn’t a rap album just for rap lovers. It’s soulful and funky, and at times jazzy, and really shows how elaborate generally sample-reliant tracks can become when given a few real instruments to play with. It flits from uplifting dancehall ragga to deep, proper hip-hop and plays around a bit in between the two positions. All the while you have Solaar’s sultry voice to escort you, and guitars and drums that work with the music and take it somewhere warm and comfortable, as opposed to his harder, ice-cool studio albums. This is rap with a heart, hip-hop with a soul, street music with nu-jazz spirit.

There are two downsides to this album. One is that it is in French, so if like me, your French is a bit rusty or just plain limited, you won’t be able to appreciate the lyrics. I can’t tell you whether you’re missing out because I’m in the same boat here. I would argue though that the ‘feel’ of each track speaks for itself. Additionally, Solaar’s vocal becomes another instrument in the grander scheme of each track, and this frees you up to lis
ten to the overall sound of the music.

Secondly, and this is more debatable, is the flip side of the live recording – the audience. Whilst it’s quite nice to hear the appreciative cheering that breaks up the tracks, it can grate a bit when the cheers intrude on a still moment within a track. I must stress that this doesn’t happen often, and almost every time the crowd is audible it’s understandably intentional. But, if you want the pure music, opt for one of the ‘unpolluted’ studio albums. What you’ll be missing though is another element in the live act that makes it so energised.

~ PRICE/STOCKISTS~

Le Tour de la Question was released on limited edition in 1998 by EastWest France, but has since been re-released on EastWest Germany. Prices and availablity vary: Amazon.co.uk have it at £18.99 but on 4-6 weeks delivery. Amazon.com has it on Limited Availability. Neither play.com nor cdwow have ever heard of him. HMV.co.uk lists it at £23.99 and cdnow has it at the more reasonable $23.38. The best deal is actually through Musica at £19.00 plus £1.25 p&p. Bargain. But Musica also do the Dooyoo music shop so buy it through there. If you want to, obviously. ;)

If not, thanks for reading anyway … and well done for getting nearly all the way to the end!


All in, the two minus points mentioned above only detract one star from the potential five. It’s a really good album and a great introduction to the feel of Solaar’s work. The studio recorded albums (the four mentioned above plus the recent Cinquieme As) may be a better intro if you’re looking for the stereotypical MC Solaar sound. But as evidence of his abilities as a live act, and the associated flexibility of his tracks, try Le Tour de la Question. C’est fantastique!


For further info try:
www.allmusic.com
fr.music.yahoo.com/biographies/mc_solaar.html
ww
w.solaarsystem.net
www.musica.co.uk
www.amazon.com
www.amazon.co.uk
www.hmv.co.uk

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