'Shalom, Salam', the new album by Niominka Bi and N'Diaxas Band, takes a somewhat false start: title track 'Shalom' seems to be a carbon copy of Alpha Blondy's 'Jerusalem' and 'Fisherman', a version of The Congos' 'Fisherman' is a complete stinker. The choice to cover this last song was however no strange one; in Wolof Niominka Bi means something like "that fisherman there" and the Niominka are the original inhabitants of the Saloum Islands off the coast of Senegal, the birthplace of Souleyman Sarr, the leader of the band. Sarr has been working in France since the early nineteen eighties and has become a permanent fixture in the local reggae scene. That being said, the band had faded into oblivion the past few years and 'Shalom, Salam' has to change that. As stated earlier, the album has some weak spots, but the fact Sarr mainly sings in Wolof gives this production a somewhat different sound compared to other recent African productions. Nice discovery, but not a top release.