David Walters is set to release his new album Ti Love on January 30, 2026, through Heavenly Sweetness. The project is his first full-length in nearly two decades, and finds the Martinique-born artist working closely with a team of collaborators to build a record rooted in community and memory.
The title means “brotherly love” in Creole and aligns with the album’s themes of generosity and solidarity. Walters wrote portions of the material in the Martinican village where he scattered his mother’s ashes, and he recorded early demos during two month-long residencies in Fort-de-France. Sessions took place at the Manoir des Artistes, a home studio near the port known for shatta and dancehall activity. Walters first connected with 25-year-old producer Neeweed on the track “Tchembé Kow,” which shifts from shatta to kompa.
Guts served as artistic director, advising Walters through a three-year writing process that involved continual revisions. Guts also brought in additional guests, including Bluestaeb, who contributes to two tracks: the disco-funk “Mr Maraboo” and “Kité Koulé“, the latter featuring Nigerian guitarist and singer Keziah Jones. Blundetto appears on two cuts as well, the reggae tune “Voodoo Love” and the closing piece “Bon Voyage.”
Fatoumata Diawara joined for late-stage vocal work as Walters refined the project’s final sequence. Overall, the album features afro-funk, afro-disco, shatta, reggae, afro-rock, and world music influences, with club-leaning arrangements giving way to reflective material near the end. Walters concludes the narrative with tributes to a past relationship and to his mother, most notably on “Ti Siren,” which includes contributions from Martinican storyteller and bèlè drum caller Philo.
Author: World Music Central News Room
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