Nkolo

Pascal ‘Lokua’ Kanza has roots in Congo–Kinshasa and Rwanda, two nations afflicted by the greatest contemporary tragedies Africa has known. His limpid voice has conveyed these realities ever since his eponymous debut album of 1993. And never more so than on this, his sixth release, an all–too brief foray for the 52–yearold’s multi–textured vocals. After two decades in France, Kanza has set sail for Brazil. Perhaps the added distance helped bring him closer to his acoustic roots, for this is Kanza stripped down to his moving best, a tear–drenched voice backed by sanza (the Central African thumb piano), guitar or washes of piano harmony. Five years after his disappointing all–French album Plus Vivant the artist, now based in Rio, has returned to a winning formula, his tremolo singing reaching a peak on ‘Loyenge’ while caressing intimate depths on ‘Mapendo’ and ‘Soki’. This is no solo effort, however. Kanza brings in the voice of his compatriot Fally Ipupa, the instrumental talents of Thomas Block and Sylvain Luc on the theremin–like ondes Martenot and guitar respectively, and the powerful harmonica of William Galison. The momentum drops slightly with the title–track’s unlikely mix of country & western melodies and Lingala lyrics – the only fray in an achingly moving tapestry. Nkolo reaches a climax with ‘Oh Yahwe’, on which Lokua’s cousin René and evangelist singer Kool Matope join in his vocal fireworks. The album ends rather abruptly, in under three–quarters of an hour: its only real flaw is that following a five–year wait, it’s much too short.