Ya Mizolé

Having set out their stall with an acclaimed self-titled 2020 debut, feminist collective Les Mamans du Congo (Mothers of the Congo) continue their mission to celebrate those who hold up half the sky with this fabulous follow-up effort on French independent label Jarring Effects. Once again the women are led by the indomitable Gladys Samba, who originally encountered French hip-hop DJ Rrobin [sic] at the French Institute in Brazzaville and – having clicked – co-composed the French-and-Lari-language songs of her five-strong troupe framed by Rrobin’s electronic beats. Once again Rrobin has daubed his Western sounds with painterly finesse, lending edgy urgency to celestial choruses and rhythms played on found objects, while moving into harder, hipper territory with first single ‘Mpemba’ (Reason), a foray into the multi-layered percussive stylings of hip-hop’s cousin: trap music. ‘Vous allez me donner raison un jour’ (‘you’ll prove me right one day’) chorus Les Mamans, urging on future generations of females with lashings of urban verve. Elsewhere, ancestral Bantu lullabies, including polyphonic opener ‘Ntima’, are given an intergalactic wash. ‘Consolation’, another highlight, vibrates with an eery metallic sweetness, like a music box on a loop deep inside a forest; closer ‘Yoba Yoba Armel’ places vocal percussion alongside soaring harmonies and swelling electronics. Marvellous.