Africa music reviews

Bonga is probably Angola's best-known singer-songwriter, partially because he's based in Paris, allowing his albums to be distributed internationally, and partially because his story--well-loved musician forced into exile by a repressive regime because of his political lyrics--has all the elements of a Hollywood romance. Bonga wouldn't have been driven into exile if his music didn't resonate with listeners, and it was his conscious attempt to use the traditional music of Angola's various tribal cultures in his compositions that made him a star at home. Since going into exile, he's also added touches of European, Brazilian, and other African music into his smooth, effervescent style, as evidenced on Mulemba Xangola. "Incaldido" is a sprightly coledera, a dance rhythm from Cape Verde, driven by a sparkling guitar hook, while the doleful "Escapada" has hints of both Verde's morna and Portugal's fado. On "Bunguleiros Da Noite," Bonga has the balafons (African marimbas) add a slight reggae lilt to a semba, the Angolan rhythm that became the samba when it was transplanted to Brazil. --j. poet