''Apartheid Is Nazism'' is an album by the Ivorian musician Alpha Blondy. The title track was a hit; the album, as an import, was a success in the United States prior to its Shanachie release. Blondy supported the album with a North American tour.

Production

The album was recorded in

Abidjan Abidjan ( , ; N'Ko script, N’ko: ߊߓߌߖߊ߲߬) is the economic capital of the Ivory Coast. As of the Demographics of Ivory Coast, 2021 census, Abidjan's population was 6.3 million, which is 21.5 percent of overall population of the country, ...

. Blondy was backed by members of the Solar System Band, his touring group. Blondy sang in French, Arabic, English, African patois, and Hebrew, among other languages. He used salsa horns on "Apartheid is Nazism".

Critical reception

Spin Spin or spinning most often refers to: * Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thread by twisting fibers together, traditionally by hand spinning * Spin, the rotation of an object around a central axis * Spin (propaganda), an intentionally b ...

'' wrote that Blondy "creates an arresting pop-music montage by blending bits of traditional West African rhythms and call-and-response singing."

Robert Christgau Robert Thomas Christgau ( ; born April 18, 1942) is an American music journalist and essayist. Among the most well-known and influential music critics, he began his career in the late 1960s as one of the earliest professional rock critics and ...

opined that, "as usual in West African pop, the voice is too mild, and as usual in West African reggae, the rhythm section is too buoyant," but acknowledged that "the singing completes an eloquently transatlantic groove." The ''

Toronto Star The ''Toronto Star'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper. The newspaper is the country's largest daily newspaper by circulation. It is owned by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary of Torstar Corporation and part ...

'' deemed the album "powerful, provocative protest music with a rock-steady heart." The ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...

'' noted that "there's a certain lack of snap that leaves the album more competent than truly gripping." ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' praised Blondy's willingness "to reveal convictions." ''

The Gazette The Gazette (stylized as the GazettE), formerly known as , is a Japanese visual kei Rock music, rock band, formed in Kanagawa Prefecture, Kanagawa in early 2002.''Shoxx'' Vol 106 June 2007 pg 40-45 The band is currently signed to Sony Music Recor ...

'' called the album "superb," writing that the title track is "as eloquent and angry as Marley at his best."

Track listing

Personnel

* Alpha Blondy – lead vocals

References

{{Authority control Alpha Blondy albums 1985 albums EMI Records albums Shanachie Records albums