Baraka 1980

Description

After Comme à la radio, Brigitte Fontaine and Areski Belkacem followed up with experimental albums, blending subversive poetry and stripped-down sound. Their project Baraka, initially conceived as a return to intimate pop with Eastern influences, was diverted in the studio by overproduced arrangements, resulting in Les églantines sont peut-être formidables – an album long banned from sale by the duo, distorted by inappropriate jazz-rock arrangements. But recently unearthed, the original demos reveal a rougher and more sincere version of the project. These stripped-down takes highlight the unique vocal alchemy of Brigitte and Areski, capturing a suspended moment between two eras of their work.