Labess
Dima Libre
Dima Libre "Always Free". This is the call that emanates from Labess' fifth album. A collective journey through waves of poetry, burning winds of anger and hope, sparks of the night. A vivid alchemy in a message in a bottle.In this musical adventure, melody hunter Nedjim Bouizzoul reunites with his cherished musicians. Palmas and voices unite. The strength of the brass, great accomplices of Labess, shines with Christine Roch on tenor, baritone saxophone, and clarinet, and Yvan Djaouti on trumpet. This 5th album is marked by the return of a younger brother from Montreal, Antero Sono-Sinnott aka Tito, whose electric guitar brings a subtly rock hue that blends perfectly with Benoît Haezbrouck's bass. Up above, Loran Bozic's violin flutters like a bird. On drums, cajón, and percussion, Tarek Maaroufi taps directly into the pulse of Labess. The rhythms of the Caribbean and Cape Verdean islands breeze through this journey, with djembes making their debut appearance. Supported by his group, Nedjim throws himself wholeheartedly, with his voice and guitar, into the magic of live performance. Together, they cross the doors of the troglodyte studio Le Pressoir, carved into the rock near Tours, to take on the challenge of bottling the living. The charm works, thanks to the talents of François Vachon and Pec (Arnaud Dervaux) who recorded and mixed the album.7 songs of exile, war, and loveFreedom is a luxury, grumbles the electric guitar in the eponymous title Dima Libre, "always free" in Arabic. A slam verse evokes the journey from Algeria to Canada. Tinged with exile and love, mirroring Nedjim Bouizzoul's life, the album musically dialogues between continents. It also expresses the bitter and ever-present realization of misunderstood wars. La guerre, a song co-written with Gaby Devilleneuve, raises the grave indifference towards wars considered foreign. "The memory of a day that children wait for remains, a dream that hasn't had its time," sings Nedjim. In the title Palestina, the voice rises in Algerian Arabic, Hebrew, and Spanish to sing of universal possibilities beyond this 75-year-long tragedy. The verse is inspired by the Colombian song "En Barranquilla Me Quedo" by Joe Arroyo. All we are saying now, a nod to John Lennon, is a call for peace and freedom for the African continent. Rosa que linda eres is marked by Nedjim's Colombian experience. The Haitian and Colombian origin piece converses with chaâbi to celebrate the beauty of a disappointed love. The traditional text Kifech Hilti returns to the roots, the chaâbi of Algiers neighborhoods that cradled the artist, in a spiritual quest recolored in pure flamenco and rumba. "What could I do?" he asks. The song Koul Men Chaf Ghzali takes the same Algerian flight. Swelled by the brass, it electrifies with the guitar. Then, the voices rise in a trance.Like a call that resonates well after the last note, the album traverses us with the sincerity of Labess' work, strong from twenty years on the road. A message in a bottle filled with musical and human alchemy that will land at the Olympia on November 14, 2024, where Labess will reunite with their audience, happy and lucky in their freedom.