Toussaint
Black Gold (Igrade Records IGCD021, 2010)
Black Gold, the debut solo album by American reggae singer Toussaint is one of the finest reggae albums of the year so far. Toussaint combines the best of roots reggae with traditional African-American soul music. And when I say soul, I’m talking about the same kind of Gospel-inspired music that you find in Bob Marley’s music, not the poppy and radio friendly R&B that other reggae artists are doing. A single and music video titled “Be You” has been circulating for a few weeks already and has attracted numerous fans.
Toussaint (also known as Toussaint The Liberator) grew up in Indiana and relater relocated to Boston. The son of a Baptist preacher and gospel singer, Toussaint nurtured his craft in the church at a young age before finding his own voice in various Boston-area bands. Toussaint worked with hip-hop group Red Pill, the funk reggae group The China Band, the rock and soul of the Trama Unit, more recently Buru Style and most notably during the two years he spent as lead singer with Soulive.
Toussaint is currently on a West Coast USA tour with Virgin Islands recording artist, Niyorah, and Tuff Lion:
Wed Aug 11 8:00 pm
Moe’s Alley, Santa Cruz, CA, U.S.
Thu Aug 12 8:00 pm
The Rockit Room, San Francisco, CA, U.S.
Fri Aug 13 8:00 pm
Caspar Inn, Caspar, CA, U.S.
Sat Aug 14 8:00 pm
Northwest World Reggae Festival, Marcola, OR, U.S.
Sun Aug 15 8:00 pm
Nectar Lounge – Seattle Wa, Seattle, WA, U.S.
Tue Aug 17 8:00 pm
Stage 54 Spokane, WA, 99218, U.S.
Wed Aug 18 8:00 pm
Majestic, Bellingham, WA, U.S.
Thu Aug 19 8:00 pm
ZULU NATION HOUSE, PORTLAND, OR, U.S.
Mon Aug 23 8:00 pm
Jambalaya, Arcata, CA, U.S.
Tue Aug 24 8:00 pm
Cooper’s, Nevada City, CA, U.S.
Thu Aug 26 8:00 pm
Ashkenaz, Berkley, CA, U.S.
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.
