Manu Chao’s summer disc for all seasons

As rains move in, come here and listen to the sound of summer that will brighten any season and, surprisingly, it is a live album. Concert albums are usually dull affairs that have only one purpose, to milk some more plastic-kudos out of old songs… Or, it can be a document of some great performance, some huge ‘event’ that really translates into grooves and emerges through the speakers like an infectious monster that grabs one’s attention and keeps muscles in a state of alert.

That’s what Manu Chao’s album ‘Radio Bemba Soundsystem’ is, the live sound of a band in full flight, rocking, reggae-ing, ska-ing, setting the stage on fire! Having seen them live not many months ago, I certainly treasure every single of the ultra-exciting moments. It is the disc that truly represents what occurred on the night, the real vibe of the gig. And, you can’t but be moved by it!

Manu Chao, as mentioned previously, is the brainchild of former member of Mano Negra – and I’ve to confess that I still wear their red-starred T-shirt with pride (to annoy Cons, man!) – whose musical love embraces Bob Marley (‘Mr Bobby’ is about the great-late singing Rasta), The Clash, The Sex Pistols, gypsy blues, flamenco, Latino rhythms, Afro-beats, jazz snippets… Aural riot! The fact is that there is hardly a genre that isn’t thrown into this cauldron of musical herbarium!

There are 29 titles over almost 65 minutes and it all brims with carnival atmosphere, party shimmers with celebrating life in all its diversity and three languages but it matters not if you don’t understand, it is the spirit of the recordings that gets to you. Quite a few songs are by Chao’s former band and several are covers, obscurities to Anglo-Saxons with the exception of ‘Blood And Fire’ by Winston ‘Niney’ Holness.

But, these are just technicalities, ‘Radio Bemba’, is the sound of sunshine, burning inside your room, scorching your brain cells and urging you to get energetic on the inside. If Asterix comic’s magic potion needed a sonic equivalent, this is it, hombre!

8/10