The beginner's mind allows room for wonderment. The first step toward being impressed by something is not knowing fuck-all about it. The first step toward disappointment is deep, entrenched knowledge of a subject.
L'Africain, which is Spanish for "The African" (obligatory), a celebration of all that reggae can be. Tiken JF spends the bulk of his album pushing the music into different molds, pressing it into country western, dance, jazz, and pop containers, catching only what fits and not particularly concerned with what falls away. "Soldier" is the first time the shape-shifting rises above the din (not just because Akon is there, remember Akon City?), "Non à l'excision" is where the whole nature of the experiment becomes clear.
If you didn't know what reggae could do, this is a great showcase for its versatility, a great counterargument against the white Euro-centring of the concept of "world music." It's a hoot.
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