During the '80s, France had its own altruistic, anthem-writing rock star in Daniel Balavoine. The politically engaged, sonically experimental songwriter inspired a generation of fans before dying in a mysterious 1986 helicopter accident. Balavoine sang about personal and global injustice, inequality, pain, and death in an impassioned high tenor. His sound evolved from relatively subdued folk-pop to a harder-rocking style. A Fairlight digital sampler adds a vivid additional dimension to protest songs condemning war and famine in Africa.