Review

Album Review: Lëk Sèn - Jèem

12/14/2025

by Gardy Stein

Ever since I discovered his fantastic Sweet & Tuff in 2016, Senegalese artist Puppa Lëk Sèn has been on my watchlist. After I Roots in 2022, he now presents his 7th studio album called Jèem, which means ‘to try’ in Wolof. It contains eight original tracks and two dubs, recorded by talented musicians such as Laurent Pena Vieira on drums, Valess Assouan and Ras Jumbo on bass, Vi-Avelino and Xavier Lassire on guitar, Christophe Laxenaire on piano as well as Dave Kynner on keyboard. Mixing and mastering lay in the able hands of Grammy-winning engineer Laurent Dupuy, who guarantees a consistent sound throughout the release, based firmly in reggae.

The African journey starts with Natty Fly, a classically structured roots song with intro, chorus, hook and verse that suggest a simple, righteous lifestyle. In a similar vibe (and also in English), Shine encourages us to “let the soul shine” and “follow the teachings of Marcus Garvey”, words placed on a buoyant riddim that is repeated in a dub version at the end of the album.

Most other tracks are sung in Lëk Sèn‘s mother tongue Wolof, with sprinklings of English or French. Net Bi, for example, has an easily understandable chorus, but the verses require a translation: here, the artist laments adolescents’ growing addiction to the internet in general and social media in particular.  

Ki Kan La (‘Who is this one?’), the second piece to which a dub was devoted, talks to “my bredrin and sistren all over the world” and highlights both the African roots and the musical journey of the singer. As first single of the album, it was already released two years ago and comes with an accompanying video, shot in south-west France and depicting the artist surrounded by nature and creative work. Likewise, both the title track Jèem and the subsequent Sunu Mam (‘our grandfather’) contain personal, autobiographic lyrics.  

In Thiossane, Lëk Sèn teams up with his compatriot Ilam, highlighting Fulani (also called Pulaar or Peul), another language spoken in Senegal and many other countries. Two more African features are heard in the deeply meaningful Tirailleurs: from Niger, the “modern griot” Jhonel contributes a verse of commemoration in French, while Elom 20ce, a Togolese artist and activist, raps about the often forgotten fate of those African soldiers (called tirailleurs) who fought for France in the Second World War. Instead of receiving proper recompensation for their services when they returned home, however, they were often treated with contempt and had to live under miserable conditions in camps like that of Thiaroye (Senegal). The song also remembers the massacre of December 1st 1944, where up to 400 tirailleurs were shot by colonial officers.

Another traumatic experience is reflected in the cover, designed by artist Elips. It depicts the infamous Gorée island, the “point of no return” from which slaves were shipped over the Atlantic. Here, however, the bright colours symbolize an imminent  return to the motherland, a new beginning for Africa’s children who return home.

Jèem is a deeply spiritual release, reflecting its African origin in visuals, lyrics and, above all, music, as many percussive elements, drums and at times even passages played on kora and balafon show. Definitely a fine addition to this year’s cpnscious playlist!

---

Release details