The Best of Bonga

Listening to this outstanding compilation makes me wonder why ageing singer Bonga isn't more celebrated in English–speaking world music circles. Born in Angola in Central Africa in 1943, Bonga spent his youth performing African folk music in a country that suffered colonial oppression under Portuguese rule. His‘escape’to Europe came by way of his athletic ability and in Portugal he became a champion 400m runner. His pro–Angolan liberation politics, however, forced him into exile in the Netherlands, from where he was perfectly located to launch a recording career that allowed him freedom of expression. Recorded in the early 70s, his first two albums (Angola 72 and Angola 74) stand out in both musical qualityand lyrical profundity. His signing to the Lusafrica label in 2000 boosted his career with deserved international exposure and a string of excellent albums. Some of his early recordings and the cream of his later Lusafrica productions are collected on this 18–track Best Of. Portugal, Cape Verde and Brazil are the obvious points of musical reference, and Bonga's ability to switch from emotive ballads to punchy shuffles is brilliantly evident in this collection. He has a delightfully raspy voice: full of fire and passion, and musically confident. Included is his stunning 1974 version of the Cabral/Morais composition ‘Sodade’ – the song that helped launch Cesaria Evora internationally a couple of decades later. His own composition ‘Mulemba Xangola’ is a more contemporary classic, recorded as a duet with Lura.

If you've not heard Bonga before, then check out this compilation – after which you'll be chasing down his other releases, many of which are still currently available.