The best of Bonga and Guinean quartet Ba Cissoko’s latest albums offer listeners some soothing African sounds.Ba Cissoko
Séno(Sheer Sound)
Guinean quartet Ba Cissoko introduced themselves in 2005 with their debut album Sebalon, a magnificent fusion album that was aptly described as “West Africa meets Jimi Hendrix”. The interlocking riffs of acoustic and electric kora, coupled with guitar, bass and drums, created an African psychedelic masterpiece. Their 2006 Electric Griot Land offered more of the same, even referencing Hendrix in its title. The band’s third album Séno offers a more delicate set of songs that bring reggae and Latin influences into the mix. Séno is less of a fight-for-your-right-to-party and more kick-back-and-put-your-feet-up kind of album. Badinia has some great wha-wha guitar, whereas Chauffeur Taxi is a gentle acoustic Caribbean meets West Africa-styled song. Bambo with its fuzz-guitar is the closest the band gets to their older material despite being sedated under an infectious reggae groove. The verdict: Séno is nowhere near as impressive as their first two albums but you can’t fault the band for pushing into new directions, no matter how disappointed it leaves you. — Lloyd Gedye
Bonga
Best of (Sheer Sound)
Since 1972 Bonga has been at the forefront of Angolan music, having released a whopping 30 albums. This compilation combines his most famous songs, selected from his debut album Angola 72 all the way up to his 2008 release Bairro. Although he originally was a 400m sprinter for Portugal, Bonga was an outspoken supporter of Angola’s independence, which led to his exile to the Netherlands. Here he launched his music career in 1972. Angola 72‘s lyrics resulted in a warrant for his arrest, but after Angola gained independence in 1975, his music was celebrated. His music blends Portuguese folk with elements of Semba, Kizomba and Latin music. This best-of compilation is heavily weighted towards Bonga’s later music with 15 of the 18 tracks recorded after 2000. This is disappointing because the early tracks such as Mona Ki Ngi Xica from Angola 72 and Sodade from Angola 74 are definitely the highlights. On the whole it is a solid compilation with a few rarities and previously unreleased tracks. — Lloyd Gedye