Man from Kinshasa is a compilation album by the Congolese musician Tabu Ley Rochereau.[2] It was released in 1991.[3] Rochereau supported the album with a North American tour.[4]
| Man from Kinshasa | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Compilation album by | ||||
| Released | 1991 | |||
| Studio | Harry Son | |||
| Genre | Soukous | |||
| Label | Shanachie[1] | |||
| Tabu Ley Rochereau chronology | ||||
| ||||
Production edit
The compilation's songs were taken from albums Rochereau released between 1988 and 1991.[4] Rochereau sang in Lingala and French.[5] Huit Kilos played guitar on the songs.[4] Rochereau used a drum machine on some of the tracks.[6]
Critical reception edit
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [7] |
| Robert Christgau | A−[8] |
| DownBeat |  [2] |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [9] |
| Entertainment Weekly | B[10] |
| MusicHound World: The Essential Album Guide | [11] |
Robert Christgau wrote: "Catchy tunes, plangent pace changes, Cuban/Ethiopian horns, musette accordion—and enough rippling guitar to keep them coming back for more."[8] Entertainment Weekly opined that "it’s not until the chugging climax of 'Ponce-Pilate', the sixth song in, that the album at last puts across the insane happiness that marks great soukous."[10]
The Gazette stated that "Rochereau's large Afrisa International Orchestra—16 members in all—provides a sumptuous backdrop for lively, lilting songs."[5] The Washington Post determined that "Rochereau has a warm, sweet tenor that lends a tone of sly bemusement to his tales about gossips, seducers and beauties."[4]
AllMusic wrote that Rochereau "dares accordion-driven soukous on one of the many highlights here, including 'Tour Eiffel'."[7]
Track listing edit
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Seli-Ja" | |
| 2. | "Londende" | |
| 3. | "Tour Eiffel" | |
| 4. | "Lisolo Ya Ngungi" | |
| 5. | "Kinshasa" | |
| 6. | "Ponce-Pilate" | |
| 7. | "Maputo" | |
| 8. | "Dernier Espoir 'Itou'" |
References edit
- ^ Barlow, Sean; Eyre, Banning (1995). Afropop!. Chartwell Books, Inc. p. 29.
- ^ a b Birnbaum, Larry (Feb 1992). "Man from Kinshasa by Tabu Ley Rochereau". DownBeat. 59 (2): 36.
- ^ "NEW RELEASES". The Beat. 10 (6): 70–71. 1991.
- ^ a b c d Himes, Geoffrey (29 May 1992). "Captivating Soukous From Rochereau". The Washington Post. p. N21.
- ^ a b Feist, Daniel (28 Dec 1991). "Rochereau's Kinshasa sounds lively, lilting and sumptuous". The Gazette. p. E10.
- ^ Tarte, Bob (1992). "Memoirs of an Egg Yolk". The Beat. 11 (2): 70.
- ^ a b "Tabu Ley Rochereau - Man From Kinshasa Album Reviews, Songs & More | AllMusic" – via www.allmusic.com.
- ^ a b "Robert Christgau: CG: Tabu Ley Rochereau". www.robertchristgau.com.
- ^ Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 5. MUZE. p. 219.
- ^ a b "Man From Kinshasa". EW.com.
- ^ MusicHound World: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 2000. p. 644.