Cotonou Club

Listen to the opening track, ‘Ne Te Faches Pas’, and you'll hear a powerful muscular testament to the rebirth of a great African band. A punchy, stabbing horn section, jangling electric guitar solos and vocals occasionally interspersed with what sound like yelps of excitement. The exuberance is perhaps explained by the fact that this is Poly-Rythmo's first new album in 20 years. The band was founded in Cotonou, the largest city in Benin, by Mélomé Clement in 1968 and had huge success in West Africa in the 70s. Reissues of tracks from this period on Soundway and Analog Africa sparked interest from an international audience and the band were re-discovered, still just about active (see Songlines #66). Their European tours and this album justify the faith their manager, Elodie Maillot, the French radio producer who tracked them down, had in them.

Poly-Rythmo have a distinctive sound, courtesy of the percussive grooves, the insistent brass, and infectious guitar work of Fifi Le Prince. Mélomé Clement and Vincent Ahéhéhinnou, two of the original vocalists and songwriters, remain with the band alongside a younger generation of musicians. This is a diverse set, including ‘Tegbe’ with percussive vodoun (voodoo) rhythms, ‘Koumi Dede’ with Cuban-style piano, and ‘Ma Vie’ with vibrant saxophone and guitar solos. There's a fiery, fast-paced version of ‘Gbeti Madjro’, one of their hit songs by Mélomé Clement, with guest vocals from compatriot Angélique Kidjo. World Circuit's new diva, Fatoumata Diawara is an even more striking guest duetting with Vincent Ahéhéhinnou in ‘Mariage, C'est Moi ou C'est Lui’. Likely to attract most attention is ‘Lion is Burning’, a driving chunk of funk featuring Franz Ferdinand's Paul Thomson and Nick McCarthy who, like many fans, discovered Poly-Rythmo from the reissues of their old vinyl tracks. A storming finish to a great album from a brand new veteran band.