One of her best - I have been following Angelique Kidjo since the release of this album. I have all her albums and still like this one the best. The energy in this release is incredible. Angelique s powerful vocals are something which set her apart from most other signers. She is touring the US this year (2001) - I m planning to catch her at the Hollywood Bowl in mid August. She is a great performer so try to see her while on tour.
African House or something like that - A nice blend of African grooves, pop and a taste of house with Fon and Yoruba lyrics. This should set a trend???
DANCE TO ANGELIQUE - This is the 4th album of the petite Beninois singer an it transcends the category world music since all the fast numbers could fit easily snugly in the dance music genre, thanks mainly to the slick production of Joe Galdo who also twiddled the knobs for Gloria Estefan s Miami Sound Machine. The result is a vibrant clubland mix of reggae, funk and African Beat with rattling, percolating percussion above which her highly distinctive voice soars and swirls. Most of the racks ere co-composed by Kidjo and her husband, the bassist Jean Hebrail. Batonga, the opener is a foot-tapping dance track whilst the tender ballad Logozo gives her voice the chance to shine in all its glory. Accompanied by acoustic guitar, her voice also impresses highly on Miriam Makeba s Malaika. A remix of the title track of her 1985 album Ewa Ka Djo is another floor-filler, as are the reggae-tinged Kaleta(lovely synth melody) and the complex Eledjire with its Nigerian polyrhythms. Angelique sings in French, Yoruba, Fon, Mina and Swahili and is assisted by Branford Marsalis and Manu Dibango on sax and Ray Lema on background vocals. Forget about techno, dance to this!
Thank you - Batonga was the first international song that got me hooked to all international music...because of this song I have since expanding my foreign music collection a lot...Logozo is very soothing and all songs give you feeling of present-day Africa.
funky pop! - i saw angelique perform when i was in the ivory coast in 1992...she was fantastic and i have enjoyed this album immensely. it is a blast of catchy pop tunes along with folk-sy melodies. i highly recommend it to all who are looking for a strong female vocalist with a groove and an attitude.