This is one of my most favourite albums of all time. I like their extensive use of muffled guitar. Durell created catchy and memorable rhythms even Wenge could not get close to. Did Arafat push Kila Mbongo into oblivion? My best sebene has to be the one of Zangul Zangul. It is so refreshing when Papy Jah's singing is better than Oxygen's. Papy Bastin is ever melancholic and he gave the whole album that special feel. Espe Bass on top of his trade. And is there anyone in this world who can roll drums better than Ramatula? I am willing to bet my top dollar on that. On this song, Roga Roga played as though it was his last time. What kind of soloing is that? Out of this universe....
One of my favourite arrangements is a bass, one rhythm guitar, a marimba or muffled/muted guitar (or both, playing the same pattern), and a solo during the body of the song. The sebene would have a bass, two rhythm guitars (different effects and/or ranges) and one solo. (Madoka and Popolipo have perfected this kind of sebene).
As Sly says, it is mainly a personal preference but there are other factors that influence choice. For instance, the acoustic rhythm guitar sounds great on slow rumbas, especially with finger-style picking, but an acoustic guitar will rarely feature in a fast song or in a sebene where a fast tempo is employed. The mi-solo, apart from complementing the main solo and harmonizing it, also works to bridge the frequency gap between the solo and rhythm guitars. But there are players, like Kapaya, whose style of playing is so complex such that they are able to harmonize most notes to the extent that the mi-solo would be competing with some notes they play and as such rendering it unnecessary.
In my opinion, the synthesizer is the bane of Congolese music. I can tolerate keyboards when used to replace trumpets to fill some gaps during singing breaks or to aid in transitions (this in itself is a short-cut; in the good old days, bands had a horn section). Now most people use them to replace all sorts of things like flutes, harmonicas, marimbas etc, but they can hardly imitate the genuine sound. When synthesizers are used as padding or to replace strings sections (violins, violas, cellos and contra bass), which is how many people use them to fill and suffocate songs, I stop listening. It works in pop music, not in African music. Using them to replace guitars, as more and more people do it nowadays, is madness.
Thank you Mwana Nsalu for highlighting the above album cover. I also remember someone posting a clip announcing Ferre Gola's new album in the old forum and it was full of Illuminati imagery. Satanism is rampant in all areas in life, but more so in music since many people like music and it is an easy medium for Satan. I have no doubt, as Archos has argued above, that most big stars in Congo use witchcraft. A quick search on the internet will reveal shocking ways in which the big stars in the West, from MJ to today's Lady Gaga etc, are deeply rooted in Satanism. It brings them fame and wealth. Which is why it is not surprising that their Congolese counterparts are probably moving up into the next stage of devil worship as they compete amongst themselves.
Ken, it is true someone must have talent to get the fame that comes with the witchcraft. The devil chooses carefully. You must give something to receive fame. If you have nothing to offer then you have no chance of gaining from the devil. If you have talent and a big fan base, then you can be sure the devil will be coming to knock on your door offering you goodies as long as you, in turn, deliver him a following, one way of doing so being the use of brainwashing imagery like what we see in videos, album covers and concerts.
Bencuri, I have seen similar DVDs from Jeannot Bel Musumbu (who I think produced this one). Are they worth the investment in terms of teaching the techniques? I saw someone on Amazon lamenting that they do not even indicate the chord they are holding as they play.
Irrelevant musicians from the past never saw the light of day. Presently, though, musicians releasing rubbish music dominate our discussions and get media attention they do not deserve. Polemic gets them going; the art of producing good music eludes them. We are all to blame for giving these musicians the airtime they shouldn't be getting. Publicity - positive or otherwise - is good for them. We need to stop it! Please feel free to add to this list of musicians whose music is not up to the standards we demand. We need to give them the silent treatment.
In Alphabetical order: Adolphe Dominguez Aimelia Lias Alba Accompagnero Bouro Mplela Dicon Caprice Didier Desert Didier Lacoste Fabregas Fally Ipupa Ferre Gola Jpson Butukondolo KOFFI OLOMIDE (a trend is emerging: many of these artists have a Koffi influence; in which case I have to stop here and agree with Papa PC that Koffi is the cause of all this.)
Have you noticed most favourites are from Titanic? JB needs to go back to that formula. But then that is almost impossible without Titina, Bula, Mpela, Aimelia, etc.
When two or more albums are good, the one you listen to most frequently becomes your favourite. Also, because of how the ear's memory works, the one you heard last becomes stuck in your mind and is easily recalled as the good one. The kind of experiences you have while listening to the music also determines how you rate an album. The human psyche, however, likes to dwell in current trends and that is the reason we are stuck here with discussions about very poor albums simply because they are new.
For me, all three are excellent albums but A la queue leu leu is the best mainly because of the line-up and utilization of the musicians involved and also because of the quality of the body of the songs. Kibuisa Mpipa probably has better sebenes but I don't find it as well balanced. Mayi ya Sika left a very good impression in my mind and some of those songs are simply sentimental.
Ken, I believe the band sits and listens to the music before it is released and decide it is the best thing they have ever heard. Even the people around them tell them the same. Is there any politician, even one whose chances are nil, whose supporters don't heap praises on? Now I am yet to listen to the album more than once and therefore I cannot pass my judgement on it. But so far I see where the critics of this album are coming from. Please note that I have always been a big Ferre Gola fan; but I am now losing my patience, not only with Ferre, but with all these modern musicians who do ballad albums without the solo guitar, human drummers and whole-band participation. So Ferre and all his competitors are nicely hurdled in the same boat.
The biggest issue many of us here have is that we don't understand Lingala, so the music, especially the instrumentation and variety of vocals, is what keeps us interested. If there is not much variation in those two elements, then we quickly get tired of the music. So far I find those elements lacking in Boite Noire. I will give my ruling on the album soon.
It is the simplicity of Ficarre's playing that makes him better than many. For instance that Kala-yi Boeing solo is not complicated but still remains one of the best licks done and one that stays in your memory forever - unlike many wonderfully intricate solos done by the Kapayas of now which are wonderful to listen to but fade away from your memory quickly. One thing I know about making good music: it is very hard to keep it simple. That is where the likes of Ficare, Mboka Liya, Dali Kimoko, Popolipo and the likes score.
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