Should we be searching for a message in the sleeve photo of TINN TOUT, the eighth studio recording from Danyèl Waro? Would it be illustrating the old maxim that trying to understand the human soul is like trying to empty the ocean with a bucket? Tinn Tout, the song that opens the album, offers some kind of answer by suggesting we ease off in order to take a step back: “We’ve got to decide, we’ve got to wake up once and for all”.
The iconic Oasis studio in Réunion has become a little run-down but the mixing desk was dusted off to record these sessions. Danyèl Waro’s powerful maloya was able to resonate with all its force. Accompanied and supported by his new quartet (Mickaël Talpot on roulèr drum, Bino Waro, his young son, on sati-pikèr, Gilles Lauret on triangle and bass, and his old comrade Laurent Dalleau on congas), Danyèl has delivered an album that cuts straight to the essentials: tributes to the men who matter to him (Dede Lansor, Daniel Singaïny, Georges Brassens whose "Je me suis fait tout petit" is adapted into Creole), an ecological fable (Tizan), meetings (Path of Lauzes), sharp and ironic reflections on everyday life (Babilonn, Kayanm, Dann Wi).
An eighth maloya album, still as committed as ever, by this unique artist whose formidable melodic talent is sublimated into a radiant and heart-rending voice.
