Jess Sah Bi JEsus-Christ Ne Decoit Pas

Jess Sah Bi is well-known as half of thelegendary duo JessSah Bi & Peter Onewho broughthomegrown Country-Americana to theWest African masseswith their smashdebut Our GardenNeeds It's Flowers inthe mid-1980s.Touring stadiums andreaching listenersworldwide, their musichas racked up millionsof spins on YouTubeand remains imprintedin the hearts ofIvorians of a certain age. ATFA reissued their album in 2018, garneringcritical acclaim from publications including Pitchfork and Rolling Stone andreaching a new generation of listeners outside Ivory Coast (Cote d'Ivoire).Sometime in the early 90s, Die Sahbi-or Jesse, as he known to friends-became gravely ill with an unknown ailment and almost died. He visitedvarious doctors and all kinds of religious healers and nothing helped untilhe became a born-again Christian. He recorded an album of musicpraising God in order to honor a promise he made to himself at the depthsof his desperation in the hospital. That album, Jesus-Christ Ne Deçoit Pas[Jesus Christ Does Not Let Us Down], came out in 1991 and sold around3000 cassettes in Ivory Coast. The master tape was lost along the way sothe recording has never been on digital platforms until now.Jesse didn't have much time to record while visiting South Carolina, andhe enlisted some American musicians (Robert Fortner and Gary Davis) tohelp. They added acoustic guitar, percussion and keyboardaccompaniment to Jesse's soaring French and Gouro vocals, harmonicaand finger-picked acoustic. The resulting recording is deeply soothing andcontemplative music that perfectly compliments the songs alreadyembraced by millions.Jesus-Christ Ne Deçoit Pas is Jess Sah Bi's first and only gospel album.Fortunately, fans responded with enthusiasm: widespread radio airplayand concerts followed, along with a growing solo profile in the country.The first big gospel artists in Ivory Coast were the duo Mathieu etConstance, who emerged in 1989. There was a bigger gospel musicmovement in English-speaking counties like Ghana and Nigeria(Christians make up roughly 40% of the population in Ivory Coast, slightlyless than Muslims).In the years since Jesus-Christ's release, gospel music in Ivory Coast hasgrown to become a key part of music culture in the country. Spiritual musicappears in community actives across the public and private spectrum fromreligious gatherings and parties to television broadcasts and musicfestivals. And, as it has evolved and indigenized locally, gospel music haspicked up elements of traditional Ivorian music, reggae and soul.Jesse didn't have any intention of working in Christian music but herealized, "You don't make music to make money-you want to send amessage.