Wakafrika

構成数 : 1枚
合計収録時間 : 00:00:00
Personnel includes: Manu Dibango (saxophone, keyboards); "Bokilo" Jerry Malekani, Vincent N' Guini, David Williams, Paul Jackson, Jr., Dominic Miller (guitar); Fred MacFarlane (keyboards); Francis M'Bappe (bass, programming); Andre Manga, Armand Sabal-Lecco (bass); Tony Allen, Brice Wassi (drums, percussion); Manu Katche, Felix Sabal-Leco (drums); M'Baye Gueye, Assane Thiam, Laurent Coatalen, Michael Fisher (percussion); George Acogny, Jo Kuo (programming); Florence Titty-Dimbeng, Tom Yoms, Georgia Dibango, Abadian Kaba (background vocals). Additional guest artists: Angelique Kidjo, King Sunny Ade, Salif Keita, Kaissa Doumbe, Geoffrey Oryema, Alex Brown, Ray Lema. Engineers include: Rod Beale, Chris Tergensen, Jay Healy. Among American audiences, Manu Dibango is best known for "Soul Makossa," a highly infectious blend of African music, soul-funk, and jazz that became a major pop hit in the early '70s. The African artist revisited his signature tune on 1994's Wakafrika, which boasts an all-star cast that includes Peter Gabriel as well as Haiti's Papa Wemba and African heroes Ladysmith Black Mambazo, King Sunny Ade, and Youssou N'Dour. With such a stellar bunch of guests, Wakafrika should have been outstanding instead of simply decent. But while it isn't the all-out masterpiece it should have been, there's a lot that's enjoyable on this CD, including the reggae-influenced "Em'ma," a remake of Gabriel's "Biko," and the "Makossa"-ish jams "Wakafrika" and "Jingo." Though likable enough, Dibango's new version of "Soul Makossa" falls short of the excellence of the original -- but then, one couldn't realistically expect him to improve on perfection. ~ Alex Henderson