Mach 6

Disk 1
1. Introspection
2. La vie est belle
3. Hijo de Africa
4. T'inquiète (Intro)
5. T'inquiète
6. Guérilla
7. Jumelles
8. Jardin d'Eden
9. Au pays de Gandhi
10. Je connais mon rôle
11. Cash money
12. Today is a good day
13. Souvenir
14. Sauver le monde
15. Bling bling
16. Ca me hante

Disk 2
1. La vie est belle (Symphonic Version)
2. A Selection of Instrumentals
3. The Internet Version Of "la vie est belle" (Rap against MP3)

Disk 3 (DVD)
1. "la vie est belle" music video
2. MC Solaar In Moscow
3. Photo Gallery

The album starts with La Vie Est Belle, which is a sort of song about war and how life can be great at times. Another great track off this album is Hijo de Africa, a song about the suffering of African people and AIDS. I also couldn't help but enjoy the ethnic beats of Au pays de Gandhi; the use of western hip hop rules with Indian instruments, excellent.

Other gems here include Cash Money, with it's soft guitar feel, and excellent lyrics, reminds me of RMI off Cinqueme As, which was also great. He raps about modern girls who just want cash. I also loved Today is a good day; and no it has nothing to do with Ice-T's version, it's a sort of funky tune with great backing, you just have to hear it to believe it's a hip hop tune.

The album is nicely rounded off with Bling Bling, which is a sort of diss on J-Lo, but in an MC Solaar sort of style, so he's not being offensive, but he's letting his feelings known about people wanting jewels and the high life, and that's it's not as easy as it's made out to be. The beat is very much like "Leve Toi Est Rap".

CD2 is sort of a La Vie Est Belle CD Single, it's got a Symphonic Remix, and a few instrumentals from the album, but the real gem here is MC Solaar's diss of MP3 and piracy. He's spits out every p2p program name and makes a great record. This is probably one of his best pieces of work to date...

The DVD is a nice bonus, which is well worth getting in itself. There are NO MC Solaar DVDs available, so this is really nice (as I am a huge fan of his). The concert is great, and the video for La Vie Est Belle is very expressive. The gallery is a good extra too.

This album is relitively good, I just can't get into it yet. I know it's only a day old, but hearing this new album I just can't help but think MC Solaar hasn't moved on much since Cinqueme As. The music is very positive, which is good, but there's no colaborations with Soon E MC, Bambi Cruz, or even 9Respect, which is a shame. I started to really like Cinqueme As's sound, and then he changes it -- it's going to take time to settle in. This album is one of those that will probably grow on you. I was very fortunate to have this sent to me from France, but if you can afford the UK pricetag, and you're a big MC Solaar fan, get this, otherwise, get it from France. Good, but could have been better.

This album, on a par or even better than his previous,'Cinquieme As', is a genuine masterpiece. Don't be fooled by other album rated '5-star' because the majority of artists can not even dream of reaching the same level as Claude 'MC Solaar' M'Barali in terms of musicality,production,lyrical mastery and, above all. He is not a jack of all trades, or varieties of music in this case, but a master.This album encompasses hip-hop,rap,reggae,classical,jazz,blues,indian and many,many more different influences but, more importantly, Solaar manages to pull them all off. Even his skits are very clever and appropriate.

The album starts off with the catchy and upbeat 'La vie est belle',with it's infectious beat and catchy chorus. As you are whizzed along a musical roller-coatser, you will also be wowed by the brilliantly produced 'T'Inquiete', the very clever and lyrically brilliant 'Guerilla', J'connais mon role','Sauvez le monde' and 'Bling Bling'. There are many other pleasant surprises I can assure you!

The only songs that I didn't quite 'feel' and seemed a bit too confused were 'Le pays du Gandhi' and 'Souvenir' but I am only writing this having heard the album for the first time!!!!!!!

Quite simply this - if you like MC Solaar, you will love this.......if you enjoy well-produced,melodical and symmetrical music...you will love this. MC Solaar at his very best...can he possibly better it? Don't bet against it!