After the critical acclaim
Alpha Blondy received from
Apartheid Is Nazism, he was quick to put out another album the following year. Perhaps he should have taken more time. While
Revolution has some great tracks like
"Sweet Fanta Diallo," "Blesser" and "Jah Houphouet Nous Parle," the first three tracks, the rest of the album just doesn't make any sense. There's the attempt at rock & roll on "Rock and Roll Remedy," but the glam-metal guitar and '80s synth fall flat, and more importantly, they sound way out of place. On "Miri," we get an attempt at a ballad, but it sounds more like bad karaoke than the great music
Blondy is capable of. The most interesting and experimental track is the ten-minute "Jah Houphouet Nous Parle," in which
Blondy takes a tape of a speech given by the former president of the Ivory Coast, M. Felix Houphouet Boigny, and puts it to some sleak, pulsating music. Unfortunately, if you don't speak French, you won't be able to understand the speech, which
Blondy calls a "masterpiece." This album unfortunately does not deserve that same distinction. ~ Matthew Hilburn
