... Of the Week: Balla et ses Balladins
By: Tom Hurst
This album was originally recorded in Conakry, Guinea and released in 1980 on vinyl. Originally, it featured just the five songs that now make up the first five on the expanded version, the link to which is below. The group (also known as Jardin de Guinée) were a dance–music orchestra, previously employed by the then Socialist President Sekou Touré, following the break-up of the Syli Orchestre National, Guinea's first state-sponsored group.
I came across this album through the third track, "Paulette". It featured as the backing track for a short Facebook video, shared to "The Identification of Music Group". The video discussed J Cole’s continued success, following the release of his latest album, 4 Your Eyez Only, relative to the success that Jay-Z experienced at the same point in his career.
See below for a link to the expanded album, and to "The Identification of Music" Facebook group: