At least on the surface,
Mousso T from
Massilia Sound System takes a highly different tack on this album. He explores the music of Marseilles in the 1930s, where jazz, chanson, Occitan folk, and even tinges of Arabic music all met. But such a melting pot is grist for his mill, whether in the bluesy drive of the title cut, the soft electronic sweep of "Soulòmi," the rural hickory of "Bolega Banjò," or "Paul, Émile & Henri," which echoes West African Malian blues. It's easy to hear some modern influences running through the whole album, too, as if it were a meeting ground for the spirits of
Manu Chao and
Lo'Jo. It's a joyful, low-key disc that wends its way through the backstreets, picking up pieces here and there, glad-handing everyone with a warm, welcoming smile on its face. Whether it really evokes the period is another matter, as there's a definite modern sensibility about it -- don't expect a period piece. If anything, it conjures up the openness of Marseilles at the time. Pleasant rather than stunning, it's still an album to return to time after time.