With over 20 albums to his name, Ivorian singer-songwriter Alpha Blondy has cemented his place as the embodiment of African reggae, whose multilingual songs promote morality, peace and social consciousness. His 2022 album Eternity carries on in his tradition of presenting truth in sorytelling and reflecting lived experiences. “This album is about spiritual maturity, Alpha Blondy tells Apple Music. “It does not have a tribal colour; it is highly humanoid.” Here, he weaves between sensitivity and rage over injustice, whether it’s a result of war (“Pompier Pyromane”) or a product of violence against women (“Excision”). Yet he also continues to innovate, using a bagpipe to transform a Bob Marley classic into “African Rebel”, and calling for a decolonisation of the African mind by setting the speeches of Cheik Anta Dio, Aminata Traoré, and Fatou Diome to song on “Épistémicide”.