Francis The Great – Ravissante Baby

How rare do you like your African records? And more importantly, just how good do you want them to be? In the land of record collecting it's worth noting that a high price doesn't necessarily guarantee quality, but in this case the £££s really do turn into musical goodness. 'Ravissante Baby' is a rare afro-funk / highlife / soul / jazz-funk LP featuring the best of the French and Cameroonian musicial diaspora, and the voice of a seven year old child (Francis 'The Great' Mbarga), recorded in Paris circan 1977. Original copies on the French C-C label with set you back a few hundred quid, so thank the Lord that Hot Casa decided on this reissue.

“Ravissante Baby (Negro Phasing)” is a long hypnotic funky soukous / highlife track with a tremendous lead guitar and a long, meandering spoken-word vocal from the aforementioned child singer. However, it's B-side track “Look Up In The Sky (Negro Nature)” that really caught our attention. A grooving disco-funk rhythm featuring cosmic synth work by Michel Morose, bubbling bass by the great Victor Edimo, the famous Toto Guillaume on guitar, and a brilliant poetic vocal in French and English by Francis The Great. The combination of hypnotic afro rhythms and slightlydelic musings from Francis make for a winning combination

Originally produced by Francis's father, a great impresario of African artists in Paris during the 70s, and coordinated by his mother, this album is totally unique.

Hot Casa Records is proud to reissue this holy grail after years of research! It comes out in a deluxe LP including interview, and has been officially licensed fromh Francis Mbarga himself, in Yaounde (Cameroon).