Packed with poetic observations, metaphysical insights and light-hearted love tales, told in French, Spanish or Wolof, comes Tigre Qui Pleure, the fourth album from award-winning songwriter and multi-instrumentalist El Gato Negro.

To be released via X-Ray Production / Que Buen Momento on January 26, Tigre Qui Pleure (Crying Tiger) was recorded in Dakar and brought to exuberant life by French producer GUTS. With its jiggling rhythms and jubilant melodies, the album is a heartfelt homage to the rich musical heritage of Africa and Latin America, featuring appearances from several West African and Cuban musicians, among them members of Baobab Orchestra (check out Assane Mboup’s cameo on the single ‘Mundo Cae’), Cucurucho Valdés, Pat Kalla, DjeuhDjoah and Cyril Atef. But Tigre Qui Pleure is also a product of its tumultuous times, reflecting the current world malaise, with El Gato Negro revealing a more contemplative side to his art.

Speaking about the album, El Gato Negro says: “Tigre Qui Pleure is clearly my most accomplished album. We worked a lot with GUTS on the lyrics, the grooves and the arrangements, we searched for a traditional and digital sound that brings together our two continents of heart, Africa and Latin America... I really wanted to make a very danceable album, full of hope and flowers, on a dark, melancholic plot, which tells the story of a chaotic world, one that makes my inner tiger cry.”

Read our review of El Gato Negro’s Tigre Qui Pleure in the March 2024 issue of Songlines