I was listening to Madilu's L'Eau and as I was halfway into Colonisation, the song gave me OK Jazz vibes. I never really noticed until that moment, but having listened to a great deal of OK Jazz over the years, I realised that song had the ingredients of a classic that Franco and/or OK Jazz would've released back then: the song opens with its entire vocal team singing in harmony, we get to the chorus and solo vocals after the changement de fréquence, lyrics that also act as social commentary on the realities of life, marriage and relationships, and a slow sebene.
It even has synth horns at the changement de fréquence, as well as the call-and-response exclamations that come after each line .
I also thought of this one as well, it's also in line with the OK Jazz formula. I think that both songs show that Madilu never forgot where he came from and how he made a name for himself, and the examples show how he updated the OK Jazz sound to fit in with the times, in his own way.
Then there was N'Julie, with Roga and Sonor literally dancing on the street. Imagine you're driving around the neighbourhood, and you see two random guys dancing in front of a camera. Mfumu, you just reminded me of this:
Lol at 3:48. It's moments like these that make me wonder 'was that the best take they could use?'
I mean, for what it's worth, Koffi differentiated the albums. You might say the QL albums are Koffi albums, but they're marketed as Koffi & QL albums. While he still made his presence known on the group albums, the rest of QL had more space than they would on his solo albums. You get examples like the ones you posted where he sings lead all the way through, but it's not like on his solo albums where he's the only one singing most of the songs, with the occasional contribution from the other guys.
Also, like Prince said, it's common for other bandleaders like JB and Werra to appear on every song in their group albums. Not to the same extent as Koffi, but their presence is still known. I guess people want to hear the leader as much as they want to hear the other singers. The only leader I can think of who got away with just leaving his band to it on their albums and showing up on a song when he felt like it is Papa Wemba.
I thought A La Une was recorded with a mobile studio, and that the rumba parts were overdubbed by Al Nzimbi in Paris. Despite the drums (both from Deo and Al) being overbearing and a bit too loud, the album had a pretty good sound quality, at least on the rumba parts.
Wow, he's deluded. He could only do half of Palais des Sports, he'd be lucky to do half of Bercy, let alone sell the place out. I don't know if there's anyone who can give him a reality check.
This is a truly underrated album that still flies underneath people's radar. Now that we're getting closer to summer, and the weather's getting better, I might listen to it more often.
Either Koffi's trolling, he's running out of ideas or he's reliving the past in the worst way. With the way his music has been sounding today, I don't see how this will excite anyone.
If this is how Cultura ends, this would be an awfully sad and quiet ending. The Wazekwa camp has just been messy for the past year or so; a messy ending might be appropriate if how Wazekwa's letting his brothers control him and his band.
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