| Soul Jazz |
In Dominique Fils-Aimé, one can find both an ethnic heritage and a deep-rooted knowledge of American soul and jazz music. As an author and composer with a particularly powerful sense of arrangement, this artist invites us into her very personal universe. It is crucial not to attempt to compare Dominique Fils-Aimé to any specific artist, and her album “Stay Tuned” earns the distinction of being an “Essential” for the Bayou Blue Radio & Paris-Move editorial team, noting the use of the trumpet on several tracks as an echo to Miles Davis. “Stay Tuned” pays tribute to the revolutions, evolutions, and the socio-political struggles of African Americans, where we find Rosa Parks, Malcolm X, Martin Luther King, and many others side by side. What better tribute than Dominique Fils-Aimé’s exquisite voice that penetrates our souls to awaken, educate, and remind us never to give up.
You will undoubtedly be moved, unless you have a heart of stone or are an uninformed Macron supporter, as there are so many these days. If Dominique’s rhythmic, gentle, or soulful voice unsettles you, it’s best to move along, as this album primarily caters to an open-minded, curious audience capable of, at the very least, embracing the world and extracting its images, influences, and scents. It represents a form of modernism found among many artists, such as Esperanza Spalding, Terri Lyne Carrington, Michele Hendricks, and many others.
Undoubtedly, African American culture is the most significant of the 20th century, still influencing the world today. If I were to make a comparison, it would be to Keb’ Mo’, not because they share the same music or musical style, but in both cases, they are visionary Black artists bridging the 20th and 21st centuries, providing a high-quality cultural extension that commands respect.
“Stay Tuned” is, in my opinion, a “sonic work of art” that I invite you to closely examine and listen to starting November 15th.
Thierry De Clemensat
USA correspondent – Paris-Move
Editor in chief Bayou Blue Radio, Bayou Blue News
PARIS-MOVE, October 26th 2019
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