Man from Kinshasa explained

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.

Production

The compilation's songs were taken from albums Rochereau released between 1988 and 1991.^[4] Rochereau sang in Lingala and French. Huit Kilos played guitar on the songs.^[4] Rochereau used a drum machine on some of the tracks.^[5]

Critical reception

Robert Christgau wrote: "Catchy tunes, plangent pace changes, Cuban/Ethiopian horns, musette accordion—and enough rippling guitar to keep them coming back for more." 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."

The Gazette stated that "Rochereau's large Afrisa International Orchestra—16 members in all—provides a sumptuous backdrop for lively, lilting songs."^[6] 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'."

Notes and References

1. Book: Barlow . Sean . Eyre . Banning . Afropop! . 1995 . Chartwell Books, Inc. . 29.
2. Birnbaum . Larry . Man from Kinshasa by Tabu Ley Rochereau . DownBeat . Feb 1992 . 59 . 2 . 36.
3. New Releases . The Beat . 1991 . 10 . 6 . 70–71.
4. News: Himes . Geoffrey . Captivating Soukous from Rochereau . The Washington Post . 29 May 1992 . N21.
5. Tarte . Bob . Memoirs of an Egg Yolk . The Beat . 1992 . 11 . 2 . 70.
6. News: Feist . Daniel . Rochereau's Kinshasa sounds lively, lilting and sumptuous . The Gazette . 28 Dec 1991 . E10.