CHRISTINE SALEM

For this new album, the iconic singer-songwriter from Reunion Island blends the percussions of her island with the melodies of a virtuoso violin. In her songs, tinged with blues, maloya or rock, she gives thanks to her ancestors and sings of hope for a better world. Uncompromising but with real sensitivity, in its strength and its gentleness, Mersi resembles Christine Salem.

On her maloya road, she moves forward determinedly, following the paths of her beliefs and intuitions. She keeps her antennae up, always on the lookout for new songs. With her very personal way of bringing songs to life, Christine Salem has created thirteen new titles, and if maloya cements this adventure, the foundations of her songs are mostly blues. It is clear on this album that Christine Salem loves that music born from the earth, pain and history.

For each of the songs on Mersi, it was necessary to find the key, the arrangements that would make it sound “right” and Christine Salem chose as a common thread the virtuoso violin of the composer, arranger and conductor Frédéric Norel. Thus, the groove of the percussion entangles the violin’s flights of fancy, inspired by classical and even folk music. Far, however, from an artificial juxtaposition of two universes that a priori nothing connects, the ensemble sounds natural, creating this new land, born from Christine’s imagination: a hybrid world, built on the freedom she leaves to each of her musicians. The production and mixing of this album by Jean Lamoot (Bashung, Salif Keita) has brought out its light, sincerity and charisma.

Christine Salem vocals, guitar, kayamb, harmonica , Frédéric Norel violin, Seb Martel guitar, Anne-Laure Bourget percussions, Jacky Malbrouck rouler, doum doum, ravann, backing vocals on Tyinbo.