Melanie

These are new recordings of classic repertoire, mostly from the 70s and 80s, when Tabu Ley Rochereau led this wonderful band. The performances and production are both exceptional, allowing a pristine return to the golden age of Congolese rumba and soukous, now found in a gleaming new sonic setting. Innovation is not the aim here, as these old hands keep on playing in the fashion that first ensnared their admirers over 40 years ago.

The contents of this release are of an unwaveringly high quality, with sufficient thrust to ensure dancing for the duration, and enough interweaving intricacy to engage the mind of a seated listener. Most of the lead vocals are handled by Wawali Bonané, while lead guitarists Dino Vangu and Nseka Huit Kilos split their own duties equally, pleasure-stinging lines weaving around harmonised, liquid chord strumming. These always-extended tunes are loaded with gently swaying grooves and voices seeping with sweetness, as lead vocals engage in dialogue with the quartet of chorus singers. Saxophone solos abound, courtesy of musical director Modero Mekanisi, as his fellow horn players shift between riffing and spotlighting, setting up periodic punctuations. A classic sound, modernised for a fresh generation of admirers.