Such was Africa’s love of Latin music in the 1960s that the Congo, in particular, created a new genre from the rumba template, one packed with sweet vocals, sinuous melodies and frantic, dancing guitars. This was one strand in the success of Kinshasa heroes Orchèstre Vévé and charismatic leader Verckys, though the band also recycled the staccato rhythms of James Brown. Recorded on a Kenyan foray, this collection showcases metronomic funk guitars on Cheka Sana, velvet vocals on Zonga Vonvon, Nigerian Afrobeat on Bassala Hot. Not the Congo’s greatest hits but a cherishable nugget from a prolific era.
