Amba

One of the most welcome returns of recent years has been that of Wendo Kolosoy, one of the pioneers of the Congolese rhumba, whose career began in the late '40s. On this second album of his renaissance, his gritty voice, easily able to leap into falsetto vocals, certainly doesn't sound like that of a 77-year-old man; there's a surprisingly youthful quality and energy to it. The mix of old and new songs (both "Toko Wela Wela" and "Marie Marie" date back many years) in several languages is wonderfully relaxed and appealing, and his backing band, Victoria Bakolo Miziki, with its mix of veteran younger players, gives him a lovely framework for his singing. They can turn up the heat a little as when the brass comes in on "Cherie Kabisa" and "Yebisa-Banganga," the former an insistent and rhythmic love song, with some gorgeous sax work, the latter punctuated by some spiky brass playing. "Essengo Ya Ngai Wendo Na Moundanda" brings in Kolosoy's old partner, Antoine Moundanda, to play thumb piano (the only instrument on the track), "Makanisi Na Wendo" is a purely a cappella workout for Kolosoy and the band, and the album ends on the autobiographical and wistful "Kinshasa." All told, it makes for a very satisfying disc, an exercise in the real Congolese rhumba from one of its early masters.