Wake Up Africa is the third album by Douleur aka Alexandre Douala, released in 1986. Still with TN Production, the album once again brought together an Afro-Caribbean all-star line-up featuring Toto Guillaume, Valéry Lobé, Aladji Touré, Michel Alibo, Charlotte Mbango, Jeanette Ndiaye, Nyboma, Jean-Claude Naimro, Alain Hatot, Jacques Bolognesi and I’m forgetting a few of the same ilk. Douleur’s recognizable voice, in French, Douala, Pidgin and even English, tells stories and gets messages across with his characteristic verve, over makossas of the highest quality. Let yourself be carried away by the excellent Mr Mamadou, with his devilishly Kassavian brass! We’ll skip the slow song that closes the album, a sort of obligatory figure on most records of the time, but rarely successful and often surprisingly heavy – but hey, the important thing was to have time to get the girls hooked… On the other hand, the album does contain an unusual little gem that is worth the diversions in itself: Wake Up Africa, the title track, an infectious Afro-funk militant, whose conclusion takes on a distinctly gospel feel. Check it out!
Wake Up Africa – Douleur, 1986
