1958

Blick Bassy dedicates 1958 to Ruben Um Nyobé, the Cameroonian anti-colonial leader who made his case for independence at the United Nations and was killed by French colonial forces in 1958. He accuses Cameroonians of forgetting their history, and urges them to remember and honour the heroes who fought for their freedom. But he never does it with anger, and the message is instead relayed with tenderness and understanding. His deeply soulful voice is accompanied only by his own guitar and banjo, and the horns, keys, and cello of his bandmates; in absence of drums or percussion, 1958 feels peaceful, reflective, and intimate.