If it's soukous that a listener is looking for, they need look no further than this album. The sheer amount of rippling guitar riffs on the album is astounding. There are actually songs from four pieces of Zaiko Langa Langa (one of the original Congolese new wave soukous bands): a collaboration of Papa Wemba and Mavuela on "Izia," ZLL offshoots the Choc Stars on "Lascar Pa Kapi," and original ZLL rhythm guitarist Teddy Sukami on "Le Bon Samaritain." The sound of the soukous new wave is a bit harder than the original soukous ...
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If it's soukous that a listener is looking for, they need look no further than this album. The sheer amount of rippling guitar riffs on the album is astounding. There are actually songs from four pieces of Zaiko Langa Langa (one of the original Congolese new wave soukous bands): a collaboration of Papa Wemba and Mavuela on "Izia," ZLL offshoots the Choc Stars on "Lascar Pa Kapi," and original ZLL rhythm guitarist Teddy Sukami on "Le Bon Samaritain." The sound of the soukous new wave is a bit harder than the original soukous, and maybe a tiny bit edgier, but all of the songs on this album still smile from every note. The tiny quaver inherent to the guitar work of soukous fills every work from end to end, along with stunning vocals from the best in the genre - Papa Wemba, Kanda Bongo Man, and the more refined Aurlus Mabele. Though soukous can on occasion be an acquired taste, this album is the perfect starting point for those new to the genre, and a nice compilation for those that have known the style for years. ~ Adam Greenberg, Rovi
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