TONTON DAVID

Pioneer of a new French reggae sound 
Tonton David certainly believes in throwing himself into his work body
and soul. Indeed Tonton, one of the most popular stars on France's
thriving reggae scene, spent more than three years recording his new
album "Faut qu'a arrte" (recently released on Delabel). Tonton's new
album - the singer's fourth to date - has sent a real breath of fresh
air bursting onto the French reggae scene. "Faut qu'a arrte" also
reveals the full extent of Tonton's new ambitions.


Take Tonton's new single "Faire Face" for example. "Faire face, prendre
les problmes de fond. Assumer comme un grand garon". ("You gotta face
up to it, look your problems right in the eye. You gotta start assuming
your responsibilities like a big boy.") Tonton purrs out the chorus in
his soft-spoken drawl but make no mistake about it, this cuddly-looking
reggae-man means business. True, Tonton sometimes comes across, as
rather shy and nave, looking like the kind of 'nice Rasta guy' who
could drop in for dinner with your Granny. But Tonton is actually a lot
smarter than this - he knows how to promote a happy media image while
keeping his real self-intact and he has managed his career with
exemplary caution. (Indeed, Tonton sometimes manages his career so
carefully it looks as if he believes the whole thing could go up in
smoke if he ever put a foot wrong!) When Tonton exploded into the
French charts in 1991 with his first hit single "Peuples Du Monde", the
singer had barely started to make a name for himself on the Paris
reggae scene. But Tonton - who could not even claim to have spent his
teenage years engrossed in music (basically, when you live on the
streets you have other priorities!) - suddenly found himself thrust
into the limelight, as leader of the nascent French reggae movement.
The King of French Reggae took his new responsibilities very seriously,
however, and over the years Tonton has used his success and status to
help a series of young up-and-coming artists.

Among his various projects, Tonton David has helped put together a
group of singers and DJs, Sans Limite, to whom he acts as a kind of
father figure/ 'bandleader'. The reggae star has also transformed his
studio (built in the backyard of his house in the Paris suburbs) into a
gigantic music 'laboratory', encouraging his band of young protgs to
experiment with all kinds of new styles and ideas there. Tonton has
also taken precious time off from his solo career (releasing nothing
under his own name up until now), while he devoted himself to producing
an album for Welcome and a compilation entitled "Sans Limite". All this
while, Tonton has been busy working on a new sound, forging a new
musical style which would not be a simple copy of Jamaican reggae but a
distinctive sound in its own right. The process has proved to be a long
one - indeed, it's taken Tonton three years to get his new reggae beats
just right!  The result is Tonton David's fourth album, "Faut qu'a
arrte". This album marks a clear departure from Tonton's earlier style.
For a start, the album features less actual instruments and a lot more
studio programming. And then Tyrone Downie (Bob Marley's old
keyboard-player), the man who helped Tonton out on his last two albums
is not involved in this new project. Downie has been replaced by a
talented Haitian musician by the name of Papa Jube. In fact, up until
now, Papa Jube was primarily known for his singing talent, but on
Tonton David's new album Papa Jube really comes into his own,
recording, mixing, programming and even playing a real bass at one
point.

In fact, Papa Jube was involved at every stage of the production
process and the Haitian producer/musician has added his own special
touch to Tonton's new album. The powerful echo on Tonton's vocals on
"Professeur", for instance, was an invention of Papa Jube's. And the
effect certainly gives the song a weird, angst-filled tone as Tonton
ponders existential questions of identity - "Dis-moi sur mon histoire.
J'ai faim de savoir. Dis-moi sur mon identit" ("Tell me about my
history. I'm hungry to know. Speak to me about my identity"). On other
songs such as "Perdre Quelqu'un" (Losing Someone) and "Personne n'a Le
Droit" (No-one's Got The Right), natural emotions come to the fore,
Tonton expressing himself with the simplest of lyrics.  All in all
Tonton David has taken a long, hard critical look at things and on his
new album the singer expresses himself with a new-found maturity,
posing his voice calmly and surely over slow, steady beats. At the
tender age of 31, Tonton's not exactly ready to play the wise old sage
yet, but he knows that his role on the French music scene has
definitely changed. Tonton's no longer a fresh-faced young star basking
in the limelight, but a pioneering member of the Old Guard opening
doors for new reggae hopefuls and setting a shining example to all.

Bertrand Lavaine
Translation: Julie Street