Reviews (page 2 of 7)
great
great!
Hermoso
Delightful album! Hard to feel anything but joyful, start to finish.
Great album. Had an amazing time and was fully relaxed.
Nice change of pace
So upbeat and happy! Loved it
Cinco estrellas no son suficientes. Ya vi que ni les gustó tanto Os Mutantes, esto seguro les dio hueva. En fin, es hermoso.
Fuckin love this
Love this! Need it in my veins!
Quite incredible. Was not familiar with Congolese music, but the rythm is undeniable. While often overlooked, Africa has some of the best music I have ever heard
A bop. I'm sure I liked it only because I didn't listen to anything like this before, but bop nevertheless
This is so joyful. I keep dancing along. Feels a little retro My French (and Portuguese ?) is not great. So unfortunately, I can't appreciate the lyrics. Great vocals, good beats, will definitely revisit. It was nice having it on at work to vibe to, but not have it be super distracting
Hell yeah, dude. This is what I'm talkin' about
Wasn’t sure what to expect with this one, but I really loved it
I don't understand a word but I love every bit of this. The choir, the drums, the flow of the music. I started bobbing my head at the first second and didn't stop until an hour later. This was a really fun experience and while I don't think that I will listen to this very often, having this experience was great!
Great vibes, agreeable melodies, awesome bbq album.
4/5 simply because I was starting to get a bit bored and then this was a whole new vibe
Enjoyed the general vibe of this one, even though some of the songs I didn’t necessarily enjoy . Specific rating - 4.0 Fav song - papa bonheur Least fav - dit jeannot
my spirit is lifted and my legs are dancing LET'S GOOO
it was a fun album to listen to, felt a bit like elevator/resort music but i also found myself dancing/swaying to some of it so wouldn't mind hearing it again!
This guy is getting review-bombed due to his crimes. Taking the album at face value, I l found it catchy and nice, not a bad listen for a Tuesday morning, and more palatable than a lot of albums on here. 4* POUSSA POUSSEZ POUSSA POUSSEZ Highlights: desespoir
Y? I think it’s chill.
Congolese music in styles I’ve never heard of (ndombolo, soukous) but no matter - pretty much anything from that continent is a guaranteed 4 or better from me.
I like the rhythms and the dance vibe but there really isn’t much variety. C’est bon ça! At the end of pretty much every song. Can’t give it all five but it was enjoyable. I bet his live shows are fun.
That was refreshing change of pace. Thoroughly enjoyable.
Very fun and happy album, which I really like. Danced along whilst listening. Would definitely listen to this one again!
very lovely! i think listening to this the day after graceland was really cool because it contextualized a lot of paul simon's stylistic choices. it's kind of crazy how a different vocal delivery can completely transform the tone of the song despite the bones being essentially the same. this felt so light and celebratory and warm, and the percussive nature of french really adds to the rhythms of this music.
Loved it, felt like i was on vacation! Very fun!
Est ce que j'irais le voir en concert...non Mais C'est un grand oui De superbes chansons de fête qui dure bien longtemps pour que tout le monde ai le temps de danse, une ambiance formidable tout du long Ça me rassure aussi sur le fait que le mec qui gère ce site le fait pas que du UK/US Ce qui nous donne un total de 4
Nice Caribbean sound. Makes you feel like you are in a bar.
I do enjoy French afrobeats.
Good stuff.
This was great! Definitely on the list of favorites.
Totally dug this!
I really liked this! Not something I likely would have stumbled across on my own, but it was so pretty and felt joyous. Parts of it reminded me of Caribbean and Polynesian music. It’s just so pretty and I loved that I understood quite a bit because I used to speak French!
Great mood
I had fun
A wide-variety of genres in one album, even a single song starts somewhere and ends completely differently. The whole album has a celebration feel to it. Only Congolese album in the list apparently. Read that the genre that this album belongs to is tcha tcho, kwassa kwassa, soukous and congolese rumba :-) Favorite track: Koweit, rive gauche other picks: papa bonheur, desespoir
This is the reason I love this project, getting to hear artists I would have probably never known about (although it doesn’t happen near enough) - I don’t think I’ve heard any Congolese music before so I had a really lovely time with this. Smooth and cool!
Repetitive but delightful vibe
great
Neil young has a voice that captivates and keep you interested. Its soothing sound
Fun African world music, and a chance to brush up on my French phrases.
Sounds like a Disney soundtrack. In a good way. 4
Some parts of this were fairly corny, but a lot I liked! I appreciate the rare times this list delves into less Euro-centric music, especially for the change of pace. This was a nice one.
Some sun on a rainy February weekend. These vibes always bring me back to Poindimié
I never would have heard this record without doing this exercise. I am glad I got a chance to listen.
At first it seemed like pleasant background music. Then it started to grow on me.
Dance all night to those beats!
Very interesting album. I loved his sound.
Based on the apparent mix of French and German(?) orthography, my guess was that this artist was from the Democratic Republic of the Congo and that was correct. I am satisfied to have won this game with myself. Anyway. I'm not even sure really what this genre would be called, but I really enjoyed listening to this album. The first song, "Papa Bonheur", specifically, gave the feeling of being in an open-air market in Little Haiti in Miami or basically anywhere where it's hot and humid and people are gathered to share food and music and try to catch a nice breeze. It made me happy to listen to. Generally I like that this album tends towards pretty long songs and gives tracks their time to settle into really nice grooves. I would happily listen again, though I'm not sure if I will.
This is a real banger, solid grooves and vibes. It's a touch dated and it's not really revelatory but it's enough to make me want to listen to more and dig deeper. Really enjoyed this.
(Rapist) King of Ndombolo, but I love congolese music
I enjoyed the hell out of this. It’s thrown my understanding of what my music taste is out the effing window.
fun afro
All vibes
Nice sounding album, very relaxing for background music.
i have no real frame of reference for this to form a nuanced opinion i can get down with it though it does sound quite dated but that's almost a good thing
See on täpselt selline asi, mida ma kuulaksin kuskil Viljandi folgil ja täiega vaibiksin kaasa. Sellist asja kuulaksin pikalt. 4/5
This album reminded me of Sebastian from The Little Mermaid! Thus, I’m giving 4!
Light and happy background music
Another situation where I like the art but not the artist. Assholes can be talented musicians!
A breath of fresh air in this stuffy list
I have no idea what they're saying, but it's a fun vibe and makes me feel like I'm on vacation somewhere new.
This album is a lot of fun. Upbeat and dancy! I like the length of the songs being 6-7 minutes and can imagine this being incredibly good fun live to dance to. However, I do think the album is a bit samey and on first listen not each song is particularly distinctive - but that could change on multiple listens. Pusa...pusé!!!!
(4) Koffee Alomide is a Congo musician. This is a four star because according to the Rolling Stone Record review guide: the best introduction to an artist’s work for curious listeners.” This is my first time listening to him, but not my first time listening to the Congo beat. “Agbepa is considered one of the most significant figures in 20th-century Congolese and African popular music.[11][12] His lyrics often explore themes of love, politics, technology, success, infidelity, religion, chicanery, and disillusionment.[13][14][8] Through his music and stage performances, he introduced the slower style of soukous known as tcha tcho[15][16] and popularized a flamboyant fashion subculture called La Sape, alongside Papa Wemba.”
****A fun, easy listening, and upbeat album
A very good Afro-beat album and a great vocal style and guitar riffs throughout. Some of the early 90's production is a little much but the songs are strong and, though the lyrics are all in French, I could enjoy it without knowing a damn thing about what these songs were about.
I don’t know what he is saying but I’m jammin. 7/10
Not my thing, but clearly talented
Fav: Désespoir Least Fav: Koweït, Rive Gauche How can people hate this?! It’s a nice fun time and fits perfectly with spring and summer
Rhythmic fun
Aijettä kun on aurinkoinen levy! 4/5
This was fun. Very upbeat! I saved 2 song. "Porte-monnaie" and "Dit Jeannot". I feel like this album influenced Drake alot.
It all kind of sounded the same (partially because I don't understand French), but it was a delight to be introduced to this artist.
Good vibes! Not quite my cup of tea tho.
This made me feel like I was at a daytime folk fest stage. What a good time! I liked that some of the album was in French and some in Lingala. Enjoyed the beats and at time, random sounds. Very fun. Would listen again.
This was such a cool album. I loved the instrumentation. Almost every song just had a fun upbeat vibe
J’avais écrit une description que j’ai oublié de sauvegarder et j’ai la flemme d’en réécrire une autre mais je suis monstrueusement heureux d’entendre une autre langue que de l’anglais
I have no idea what we call this genre, where in Africa or the African diaspora this dude is from, or what in the hell he is singing about, but it had me absolutely bopping in my office chair.
This was much fun
Fun, lively, and well-produced music that would be great background for a summer pool party. Not really what I would listen to on a regular basis but fun nonetheless...
Glad to be introduced this. This guy was apparently involved in the whole Sape thing, which is tight. Real mellifluous singing and polished bass. Almost too polished, sometimes this sounds like the soundtrack for tropical levels of video games from the 90s/00s. Anyway this invented that, and is very much its own thing and cool.
some positive and soft sounding african dance music this day, light percussion and acoustic chords accompany uplifting and rhythmic vocals sung in french. this album is nice. i like the folk dance subgenres from different countries, and i feel like especially with music from african roots, there's a natural and positive energy to how many songs are composed, the sort of casually happy progressions where whenever you're 9 or 90, you can't resist the urge to dance with the music. it's not something i'd listen to normally, but it stands pretty well.
Great vibes and makes me want to get up and dance. I'm glad I got exposed to music like this
with this album, its even easier to find rumblings of discontent ab the methodology with which this list has selected african records than it was with the khaled record i got a bit ago, and even not knowing what the more authentic version sounds like i Do hear the late 80s/early 90s western pop production-isms that i suppose could mesh weirdly with the more local song structures. whether such criticism is more owed to the artists or to the curators of the book, or how much its even due at all, im not the one to ask ab that, but as far as actual music goes i like this one! tho i liked the khaled record even more so u dont gotta trust me ig. i started off thinking that maybe the song tradition this is pulling from ,which starts with a more melodic and vocal focused first half before breaking into a dance-oriented second part (often with encouraging vocalizations) would be a bit exhausting for a full record and it sort of is, but theres a lot more divergences in shape than that lets on, including some lovely full length ballady songs (which are extra sellout-y and westernized i suppose but i rly like them lol). should probably check out some of this guy (and khaled's) other records for a less constrained picture, but just as much i think this is plenty fun and sunny and often beautiful. hilarious and amazing album cover too...it takes inhuman confidence to pull off those pants.
I liked it. I may never listen to it again, however. 4 stars
Good Stuff
It was fun. Not my usual thing but it’s nice to hear something different.
Certain countries and styles are massively over-represented on this list. So it's a real pleasure to get something completely different, that I would never have listened to outside of this project - and for it to be pretty enjoyable as well. This isn't something I'd listen to on the regular. But definitely interesting for a spin or two. And all vocal deliveries (background choirs included) are on point. Solid 3.5, rounded up.
Lekkie, taneczne, trochę Vibe jakichś wysp karaibskich czy innych takich że Hawaje
Really enjoyed this different vibe. No discernible favourite track. However I listened to the track list start to finish. I did have it as background music to a family meal. Which it provided a fun upbeat atmosphere. I feel listening to the album solely with headphones would be a little trickier. Having the odd song every so often was great and the backing track of a night is a great choice. Not sure any individual song stands strong enough to warrant my investment for the average 6min song length. As an album enjoyable
Blije feestmuziek uit de Kongo, al het voor mijn ongeoefende oren ook van een Caraïbisch eiland kunnen komen. Hoe dan ook, zonnige deunen voor zonnig weer, je gaat vanzelf meedeinen.
Een voor ons westerlingen een wat afwijkend plaatje. Omdat het wel interessant klinkt, pak ik het boek er eens bij. Ze kunnen het wel promoten zeg: "vooral voor een vrouwelijk publiek", "heerlijk stroperig", "met overvloedige synthesizerstrijkers" en "geprogrammeerde percussie". Gadverredamme, dat wil je toch niet horen? Ze bedoelen het overigens allemaal heel positief. Dat blijkt wel uit de rest van de pagina. En het klopt ook ergens allemaal wel. Het is best een fijne combi, die geproduceerde afrikaanse muziek. Niet alleen de computer duidt op een bredere oriëntatie. Ook het begin van veel nummers is vrij westers. Zo hadden we het begin van Désespoir (yep, stroperig, bah) begin jaren '90 gewoon op onze westerse radiozenders voorbij kunnen horen komen. En hebben enkele nummers zoals Dit Jeannot aan het begin iets wat ook uit Volendam had kunnen komen. Maar al die nummers bouwen vanaf dat westerse toch op naar een dansbare afrikaanse climax. Met in de hoofdrol een geinig gitaartje.
graphic design is my passion
Enjoyed although songs did sound very similar by the end!
Cool calypso album and fun vibes, but songs very similar
4 good vibes
4 stars. Really good despite not being able to understand the song lyrics. However, just because I can't understand the lyrics does not mean I can like the music.
Happy, funky music.
A very chill and strangely uplifting album even though I don’t understand a word. It feels as though I’ve been teleported to the beach with people dancing around.
So 90’s. Always fun to hear bongo xylophone sounds
Caught the vibe. Good stuff.
deff a great argument for not playing to a click even tho Koffi is Congolese, he makes perfect pina colada music
No better day to have this sort of music than when the sun is shining and you're driving round the countryside, this has probably led to it getting one more star...
V weird
Fit right in
20/1001 This was a nice addition to the list and frustrated me a bit. Not because it didn’t belong, it absolutely belongs. I throughly enjoyed this record and am glad I learned about Koffi. It frustrated me because I am only 20 albums in and I’ve had 6 70s folk rock (4 being Neil Young) and 3 post punk/new wave albums. 1001 albums should be more diverse with more albums like this (not from US or UK). I’ve looked at the list and know of amazing albums from Spain, France, Mexico, Puerto Rico and Brazil that didn’t make the list. I think The Beatles, Bob Dylan, The Byrds, Elvis Costello, Neil Young, and Bruce Springsteen could all be limited to 2 or 3 albums and the point would still be made. I know it isn’t possible to truly represent every country and/or genre, but the fact that about 12 or so artists own about 10% of this list when I know all their names and most of their work and there’s more artist like Koffi out there that aren’t on the list is a bit frustrating. To be “need to hear before you die” should entail more of the “obscure” and less of the stuff we in the US here in every grocery and gas station everyday. Ok, end rant, begin review. This was so good, so fun, so energetic. I was at my desk dancing in my chair for the full hour (I listened to 3 more hours of Koffi and related artists afterwards). I speak a little French but by and large I knew no lyrics, but it didn’t matter. The passion and joy is his voice spoke a language we all can understand. The beats were infectious and the rhythms were captivating. Loved the album.
Funky fun album for summer vibes. I actually really enjoyed this album while working outside.
Hell yes, so amazing this is on the list!! Loved it!!
Fantastic!
This rocked, it was such a fun listen. 4/5 Fav song: papa bonheur
African (?) instrumentation, baritone (?) singing
Not bad. Varied and high energy. French. 4/5
FINALLY, something unfamiliar! French Afropop? More more more please
Millions of Africans can’t be wrong, can they? And think of all the dancing that gets done to this music. One finds that good enough, plus it's sweet and pleasing to hear.
Fun African Congolese Soukus. Fantastic beat. Even has some cheesy ballads. Quite varied album. Makes you want to dance.
This was so fun!
His voice is mesmerizing and the layers of rhythm happening are really fun and infectious.
What a cheerful album :), can't help but smile while listening, feels like a tropical party, very fun and joyous.
One knows nothing about this style of music, other than it's delightful to listen to. One knows nothing of this artists' legal troubles, other than they are most unpleasant to hear about.
yes
This is great music. I’m grateful this project is exposing me to more world music. Koffi has a delightful voice, and the music has a wonderfully light, almost tropical feel.
Good dinner music
Overall, lovely beats and great voice. I think he was singing in his native language? I had to google what languages he sings in, and I found two, neither of which I speak or understand lol I like the changes in tempos and beats within a song because otherwise they would be too simple and repetitive.
Very nice … and so great not to have a USA or UK album …
It's pretty
OK, not really my thing but pleasant and easy to listen to
This was so fun. Groovy and beachy. Stand-out: Koweit, Rive Gauche
Not really my thing, but decent enough. I'll give it a 4 even if I'll likely never listen to it again.
Sunny 3.6
I liked this a lot. Upbeat and fun. Don’t know much about this kind of music so it’s tough to be too discerning, but I’ll return to some of these songs, especially the first two.
Wikipedia on this guy is pretty dicey - sounds like the R. Kelly of the Congo. Separating art from artist, some really fun grooves and great voice on Koffi. So many similarities with Vampire Weekend (learned Kwassa Kwassa from their song Cape Cod is named after a Congo dance) and way more obviously Paul Simon Graceland - sucker for the little looped arpeggiated licks with the bright guitar tone you hear across the three of these guys. Stars for this album, but also just for opening up a new genre/region - have really only heard Fela and Amadou & Miriam previously - would be interested to hear artists more related to this style.
Este es uno de los discos más importante de la World Music. El congoleño Koffi Olomidé nos habla de amor y política o incluso de religión cultivando un estilo lento del "soukous" y muy cercano a la denominada rumba congoleña, un estilo creado en Cuba por los exclavos africanos que, en una especie de viaje de ida y vuelta, volvió a África en los años 30. El tema "Désespoir", sin embargo, vira hacia algo así como un R&B dulzón que le dio cierto éxito en occidente.
Exuberant African music.
The album grabbed my attention at first, but then it became less and less interesting. I'll round up...
Ah this is what graceland was aiming for
It's always a treat to get albums from abroad. Not my usual listen but I enjoyed the experience.
most of the songs are too long but it reminds me a lot of 90's Jimmy Buffett in a nostalgic way (yes I know the influences work the other way around but guess which one I was listening to constantly as a kid)
No idea who this is, but I really like this album.
Super, wie sich die Rhythmen kaum fassen lassen und durch die anderen Instrumente noch verstärkt werden. Obwohl es für mich nicht eingängig ist, finde ich die Platte gut.
Melodisch, rhythmisch, macht gute Laune
A buoyant and jubilant slice of afro pop and traditional music.
4.5, cool to hear different music I wouldn’t normally hear
If you told me vampire weekend listened to this before their debut, I wouldn't be surprised
Can't be in a mood listening to koffi. Vibes are v strong can't understand the lyrics but he makes me feel everything's OK. 7/10
Gar nicht meine Musik. Trotzdem: sehr besonders!
This album is fun. I don’t love the production, but that’s not too damning.
A lot of fun. I'm not sure I love it but it's decent stuff.
You know that feeling of not understanding a single word of the song's lyrics? That's the feeling! The only word I understood from the entire album was actually the song title "Obrigado" (which means Thank You) because it's in my native language (Portuguese). But the question is: WHO CARES ABOUT THIS? My body didn't stop moving for a single moment. The instruments are very well played and have a captivating rhythm. It's very similar to another genre of music here in Brazil called "Lambada". And that means that I really felt at home listening to this album.
Instantly in a good mood :)
lauleskelija poika kongosta... Conceptual..
Really likeed thisbalbum and enjoyed it. Although I had NO clue what they were singing about. I appreciated the new sounds rhythym and tempo of the compositions. It was really needed cause Im getting a lot of albums I own or have listened to in my lifetime. I feel it was a bit commercial but thats OK. Happy music for clueless listeners like myself.
Love that African sound!
Just funky and fun as hell, gives me island vibes at times. Glad I get to experience lots of world music through this list. Cant really pin down a song that stuck out but the album as a whole made my day way jauntier.
Pretty fun afrobeat album! I’m a sucker for albums that aren’t in English so this tickled me just right
Dit swingt echt bizar hard. Een soort Afrikaanse jazz plaat, gaat alle kanten op. Nummers zijn lang, maar elk nummer eindigt in een soort volle swing vaart, super leuk en vermakelijk. Wel jammer dat nummers vaak wat rustiger en ingetogen beginnen voordat ze echt los komen. Dat leidt bij mij toch ene beetje af en zorgt dat ik niet altijd de volle aandacht er bij heb. Maar als we dan losgaan, dan gaat het ook echt hard als je het mij vraagt! Sowieso complimenten, de laatste tijd zijn de albums weer best wel verrassend, dit is ook het 2e afrikaanse jazz album in een week tijd? Als elk nummer de hele tijd was zoals elk nummer eindigt was dit misschien 5 sterren, maar omdat de beginstukken vaak wat relaxter zijn kom ik uit op 4. Sprak ik maar beter Frans... Als voorbeeld van een nummer dat echt los komt: luister naar Port Monnaie en dan vanaf minuut 4 ongeveer gaat het helemaal los terwijl het daarvoor een vrij rustig nummer is. Maar goed, ales bij elkaar; lekker album, pure vibes, lekker eens wat anders. FAVO: Papa Bonheur, Desespoir(2e helft), Qui Cherche Trouv'e, Porte Monnaie
Very enjoyable despite making the mistake of reading up on the singer's life. Can't fault the music, though.
Enjoyed this way more than expected. Really strong melodies and musicianship. Grooves for days.
Альбом кайфовый и заразительный. Меня бесит узколобость авторов. Э, ну давайте включим музыку не на английском - а ну давайте народную африканскую врубать, лол кек Японский джаз, французский шансон, немецкое техно - пошли нахуй.Единственное что было классное - краут-рок
For fans of world music - if you liked the South African music on Paul Simon's "Graceland", then you will like this album. No idea what he was singing about because the lyrics are in French and Congolese, but I really liked this album.
Fun and danceable. I don't know how often I'll seek it out, but I thoroughly enjoyed my first listen.
Ive moaned before about Apple Music genres being a bit reductive. Today’s album is described as “African”. Imaging an album’s genre being described as European. That would be silly, and this is the same. Anyway, let’s listen to this one! Songs I already knew: none Favourites: Désespoir This is another album and artist that I haven’t heard of before. Added to this is the fact that I don’t understand the language, adding to its mystery with my stupid little ears. From an entirely sonic point of view, this sounded really pleasant and had me bopping away throughout. I like how different the music sounds to what I’m used to, without sounding too zany. I recommend this. It’s good.
Leuk man, kan hier wel lang naar luisteren. Snap waar stromae de inspiratie voor z'n laatste album vandaan haalt. Ook schattig dat ie het feit dat ie in deze lijst staat in z'n spotifybio heeft gezet.
This was not at all what I was expecting, but it was good, a fun listen, and something surprising out of the 1001.
Definitely an interesting listen, gave me similar vibes to Masayoshi Takanaka, 8/10
Música "africana". A veces me recuerda a Juan Luis Guerra.
Great African music. Great and legendary artist.
I tend to rate international albums pretty high, I like being exposed to new stuff. This one had me vibin and dancin
That was fun!
Best part of doing this list is getting given music to listen to that is not what would usually be played by me. This is great example. It took me a few false starts as it didn't hook me at first. Once it did I found I was in a soundscape of grooves and beats. I couldn't understand stand a word but Koffi Olomide has such an amazing range. File under listen to more Ndombolo
refreshing sounds
Música "africana". A veces me recuerda a Juan Luis Guerra.
I really enjoyed this. Fun and catchy.
So easy to listen to and such a unique sound. Really enjoyed it.
Very warm
This isn’t necessarily my cup of tea for an entire album listen—but it did have me dancing as I made breakfast in the kitchen while I listened!
Great vibes but in french
Interesting album. Much different than what I usually listen to, but I enjoyed it.
fun Congolese music, can see the roots of jamacan music or maybe it influenced this. Can't understand it but fun
I enjoyed approximately ⅔ of this album. If I'd heard the other ⅓ at another time, on another day, I'd probably have enjoyed it then, but the relentless sunny optimism of this music is rather taxing on a snowy November day.
Really fun
Música "africana". A veces me recuerda a Juan Luis Guerra.
Delightful. I’m a big fan.
love the hypnotic interwoven intricacy of melody & rhythm
I don't know how this album can even be counted as music as it's just noise and screaming noises. If this was an art istalation I would understand but you can't really call this music. I can see what they were going for but it didn't really work.
LP, other albums
Fun to listen to! Unfortunately, the album review spent most of the time here criticizing the choices of African music albums to include in the 1001 albums list rather than teaching me about the artist. However, it was a little vindicating to hear someone else criticize this list!
This one deserves more than one listen. It's good.
Very pleasant indeed
Fun background music for dinners
I liked this a lot! What joyful warm and rich music this is. I found it very soothing and uplifting to listen to
Thoroughly enjoyable. Just a niiiiice vibe
Very enjoyable music and very fun to listen to.
listened
Allegro e caraibico
This did seem a bit repetitive but I was still bopping along
fun
Good hot drinking music
Good fun and maybe because the sound is the new to my ears - but fresh and just simply puts you in a good mood. A tad long but not too much - I’d definitely pick this one up again
haut de gamme / koweït, rive gauche was a refreshing listen. i have lamented the lack of world music part of this project, so koffi olomide's presence is very appreciated. but despite my excitement, i want to be fair in my review. this album was quite fun. the beat was fast but playful. it could be soulful, or deep with african music, or even encouraging the listener to dance along. this album makes for a good introduction to this kind of music, and it's no wonder olomide is so well known in all of africa. 3.5
Not quite a 4 for me but almost. I liked having it on in the background
This album caught me pleasantly by surprise. Very African good vibes, like classic African sound from the 90s. 7/10.
When I saw the album cover I instantly knew this album was going to be fantastic, any person who puts all their effort into the music and absolutely none into the album cover always produces feel good music
Amazing album. Just not something I would normally listen to. Still, a great listen.
Loved it. French afropop? Yes
Wasn’t sold on this at first, but Desespoir really hooked me. Instrumentation is interesting and lively, really glad I listened to this.
Nice vibes :)
Jag njöt av de extra mycke då ja visste att ja aldri kan lyssna pånytt
Vampire Weekend owe a lot to this guy.
Liked very much
Riktigt dansant och roligt. Det svänger!
Conversational baritone singing - very nice and easy to listen to. Vairety of rhythms are fun. Enjoyed this one greatly.
7/10. Pretty good
Really solid
Quite enjoyable, pretty lengthy, but very nice to listen to
A lot of the music I really love is influenced by this style of music. I can hear early Vampire Weekend in this down to the tone of the guitar and the lines played (I think the mixolydian mode is used quite a bit in both). Overall, I found this album to be enjoyable and accessible and it helped me to connect Afrobeat as played by western musicians with how it’s played by Africans. Both forms are similar and involve borrowing from the traditions of the other.
Koffi Olomide is a new artist for me. This is a very happy sounding album, with some interesting rhythms throughout the album. I enjoyed listening to somethin new, even if I couldn't sing along. With only one listen, the album falls somewhere between 3 and 4 stars, but I did like it enough that I'd be willing to have a second listen.
Jammin
This is some uplifting, upbeat, refreshing music. I listen to the album twice in a row.
Unexpected surprise. Couldn’t understand a word but really enjoyed the rhythm
Some french, some other stuff. Pretty good
groovy as fuck, 8/10
Happy music! I love this style of music - call it soukous or jit, it's impossible not to want to dance
Awesome music that feels nostalgic in a strange way, not that I ever visited the Congo but it really puts you in a specific time and place.
I had no idea what to expect with this one but I bloody loved it.
Eve is such a good influence :) I'm learning to appreciate this kind of music much more! Honestly super fun and unique, at least to me.
Rating: 7/10
I don't know what he's saying, but it sounds fun
Enjoyable, uplifting
I like this style of music.. not a compete triumph but I’m feeling generous!
No conocía al artista pero fue muy interesante encontrarlo en esta losta
La verdad me deleitan las guitarras en el soukous; sí me dan ganas de bailar jajaaj. En esta nota, me gustó bastante Qui cherche trouve y la segunda parte de Désespoir y el final de Conte de Fées. Mood: Kwassa Kwassa todo el día y toda la noche.
This right here reeks of the 90s and makes me want to go to the beach, I love it
Música "africana". A veces me recuerda a Juan Luis Guerra.
Disco alegre (aunque esto pareciera estereotipo de la música de África o del Caribe), con ritmos que suenan a artistas de Senegal o Camerún que he escuchado antes. Quizá no aprecio mucho que haya pistas muy largas, pero definitivamente como música ambiental funcionan bien. Es un disco al que regresaría sólo en momentos específicos, pero no para oír diario. Mis canciones favoritas: "Koweït, Rive Gauche", "Qui cherche trouve" y "Conte de fées". 8.5/10
The music was groovy with strong melodies
Fattede intet, men det lød okay
I danced a little
Pleasant music to listen with a few songs standing out. Not sure I would seek it out again to play it, but I would listen to it again. Conte de Fees was my standout. 3 stars
Latin Sounds, die Texte auf kongolesisch verstehe ich leider nicht ;-) Entspannte Musik, angenehm zu hören. 3/5
Good album. Very good rhythms.
Kann nicht viel dazu sagen, ganz ok.
pleasant! interesting and different. not 100% my thing but i had a fine listening time. felt a little mocked by all the smooth, easy breezy vibes while working at my desk but that's not this guy's fault!
Интересный музыкальный опыт, никогда ничего подобного не слушал, Яндекс даже крутил только подобную после альбома, вот такое это уникальное
It might technically be very good, but the music did not speak to me and I didn't really like it.
This eas nice. It shows my age perfectly but it reminds me of the kids shoe gullah gullah island on nick Jr from a billion years ago. That might be my own ignorance because of the afro centric themes in both but I dont think im that far off. Cameroon and Angola/Sierra Leon are at least in the same corner of the continent. But back to the album at hand. Its just pretty fun. Not anything im looking to listen to all the time but it was a nice listen here. Nothing stood out that much for me but it was solid from start to finish. I knwo almost zero French so im at a loss on what's going down bit I get the island vibes. Even though its not an island. It has that feel. Very laid back and chill. The production is also very indicative of the time. It feels pretty 80s. But all in all its solid. Does what it set out to do well enough. Worthwhile listen
upbeat, danceable, curious, of its time.
Enjoyed this & was happy to learn more about continental African pop music. This isn't too dissimilar to what you'll hear on African radio stations but I imagine Olomide is the biggest name in the genre given his presence on this list and also his (dicey!) Wikipedia page lol. It's not extraordinary or playing around notably with texture but it's a good sample of what's big & has a light danciness to it that I appreciate. Would love to listen to this while playing the low stakes tables
It's not bad. No clue what he's singing about, but it's got a nice beat, his voice is good, smooth and warm. It feels a bit over produced, like they spent time cleaning it up for the record, not bad but it's noticeable. Kinda takes something out of it. Good put on and dance around your house music.
He is not afraid of a preset rhythm on his keyboard but that does not stop the album from being great - which is a pity as he is so problematic .
A fun exploration into the Congolese styles of soukous and kwassa kwassa! Definitely a bit Westernised, but I'd definitely prefer that over having nothing from this region at all.
Ok yeah a quick trip to his Wikipedia page shows that this was a very flawed individual, but this was a pretty fun album overall!
Can I just say that I unironically adore how straightforward and under-designed the cover art is? It captures the exact lofi, loose and free vibe of the music, and while I don't think the album's a "masterpiece" - not that it has any pretensions of being one - this mf had me moving the whole way through! One hell of a good time! Standouts: Papa Bonheur • Désespoir • Conte de Fées • Obrigado
An extremely breezy and pleasant album, perfect for summer, but not enough variety to justify its length.
Genuinely enjoys the music, just got a bit same-y after a while. Very fun though!
This was great, sounded like a carnival. Really cheery.
Really lovely, didn't understand the lyrics but I was tapping my feet pretty often
The first Congolese artist on the list (I think), this album has lots of energy and peppy songs. The lyrics seem to be both in French and some African language, so I have no idea what he’s singing about. Koffi went to college in France so it’s logical that he knows French. Apparently he was/is very influential and sold out a performance at a 20,000 seat French venue.
Fun! Lingala? And French? Or is it just that spoken Lingala has a bunch of French influence?? I think it's *not* just that, though, because the titles/choruses/"main ideas" are more often in French, so it seems like a stylistic code-switch. Very cool. A linguistics dataset for me. Plus 'Élixir' is (almost?) totally in French, and that's the most straightforward love song here. Honestly, there's more African albums on this list than I expected (at least 3). Everything here has good energy, even 'Désespoir', which you'd think might be a mopefest. If I'm understanding them right (which I definitely may not be), every song is kinda like "Mom! Nobody likes me! But - I love {girl's name (different one in every song)}! Everybody dance!". Oh, and there's one about how money isn't everything (everybody dance!).
An excellent album. Fun, wide ranging, lots of genres, proof you don’t need to understand the lyrics. This is what I wanted from this project, learning new bands and albums from diffferent styles and countries.
I'm not a big fan of his voice when he's singing slower songs or singing higher pitched but I really enjoyed the more upbeat songs and his deeper singing voice. Favourite song: Papa bonheur Least: Koweit, rive gauche
Number: 147 Date: 05/30/2026 Artist: Koffi Olomide Album: Haut de gamme / Koweït, rive gauche Year: 1992 Style: African Soukous Familiarity: None (1) Rating: 3 Before: ======= Another never heard of. That makes 3 days in a row. I'm thinkg Caribbean or African? During: ======= Wow, this guys been pretty productive, with over 70 albums listed in his discography on Spotify. Let's compare that to my all time favorite, Mark E Smith, aka The Fall. OK, calcuating...the Fall have over 100 albums listed, which is 42% more. So, still on the first track after 6 minutes and I can say that the music is entertaining and has it's place but not something I would ever go out of my way to listen to. I can't imagine I'll ever listen to this album again after today. After : ======= I decided not to rate the indvidual songs as it al sould pretty much the same to me. 3 my personal rating 4 suitability for this list 5 impact ----------------------------------------------- 4 composite rating
It’s fun and lively! Once or twice it dips into a little of that early 90s r&b.
Lowkey rhythms and excellent vibes. I definitely liked this more before I read the other reviews about him being a sex criminal :-/ Fav song: Koweït, rive guache / Élixir
Maybe we should separate the art from the artist. Maybe. It's a debate I go back, and forth with myself. The album itself is one I appreciate, but one I don't have the urge to listen to again either If you're going to protest Koffi Olomide by giving this album a one star due to his repulsive actions, that's fine. However, keep that same energy for John Lennon, Jimmy Page, Michael Jackson, Eric Clapton, Kanye West, and other mainstream artists in the Western part of the world. Favorite Track: "Papa Bonheur".
Yeah I guess you could say I popped a bonheur listening to this
Not my thing. It was fun sounding music, like something you'd hear at a resort or while at a party, but it was hard to connect to it since I didn't know what was being said and I'm not used to these sounds.
This was a delightful melange of instruments and vocals that simmers and blends well, even though I do nott understand the language. Soukous, is one of the more pleasurable true audio discoveries I've learned about from this list. Regarding Koffi Olomide, his self control issues are troubling, and he does seem to have some self destructive habits, though I would note that he was subsequently acquitted of the statutory rape charge. Furthermore, I've always tried maintain a practice of separating the art from the artist when judging works. Musical ideas are more than the source of their origin. I do think this album is worthy of being on the list.
Popular, too uniform. Prisoner!
Pretty middle of the road. Feels like the guy who made this list felt it needed some more African music and just found some lounge music.
At a risk of sounding uncultured, I found the songs to become repetitive as the album went on. As a non-speaker of French, it then became a difficult album to listen to as I couldn't immerse in the lyrical content. Koffi obviously has a fantastic voice and is a key figure on the Congolese music scene (despite his reported misconduct). The music is very danceable and was perfect for a bright, sunny morning coffee and breakfast moving around the kitchen, but I probably won't revisit this one again.
Not something I'd ever go out of my way to listen to but I had a good time!
On the plus side, a lively bear and something a little different. On the negative, statutory rape. How to decide?
Gezellig!
Ok.
Music was chill, listened a few times.
Review - really nice record from an artist I'd never heard of. Exactly what I was looking to get out of this list. Score - 6.5/10 Need to listen? YES
Off the beaten trail. Fun and upbeat, with a Latin sound.
Some of this slapped. Some of it was the same song and lost me along the way. Fun though.
53/100. A sound built for movement, driven by intricate melodies and a steady groove that rarely lets up. Koffi Olomidé leans into consistency, creating a smooth and flowing experience.
I like it; I like west African music
The album was upbeat and kinda fun, yet somehow every song ended with the exact same 2 minute long repetitive, vulgar sounding in a funny way, shout. It definitely sounds like you should be on the beach or on a cruise listening to this.
Not unenjoyable, and it's not a sound that's alien to me, although this has an 80s sheen to the production that's not really a sound I gravitate too. But it's more the kind of music that I find is better to listen to live, in the early afternoon sat in a sunny festival field drinking cider. ... so if you're reading Koffi, book something this summer in the Haute Savoie region of France and I'll be there!
Groovy, good beat, fun summer album. I don't really understand the genre.
Spends way to much of its runtime sounding like the soundtrack for a beach themed party game on the Wii
This was extremely fun to listen to, it’d be hard not to be uplifted by this. Sunshiny tunes. 3.5/5.0 Best Song: Qui Cherche Trouve
This was a lot of fun, not my usual bag, and it can't imagine ill chuck it on again soon, but it was a fun listen. Music that is impossible to feel sad to.
Bit samey but bouncy and boppy - easy background music.
It's cool. It did all sound like one song, but it was a good song.
Some vibes, 5/10
This album was another data point for me that I like subSaharan African music more than North African, although it's all good stuff. This style of music is so jovial and energetic it's hard not to enjoy. The guitar melodies are always so cheerful, and the percussion sections are rich and polyrhythmic. I love the shakers; I employ you to listen back to Jacob Colier's "Nebaluyo" where he breaks down the kind of shaker rhythm that can be found in Africa and South America even further into a quintuplet feel. Another quality of this style is that it is very jam-like: there are often not many distinct sections. For the songs on this album that did have distinct sections, it was almost like they were divided into separate songs. The style of composition makes it easier for the songs to wash over you as the same groove can drag on, but music is so uplifting. I usually don't mind . The artist description on Spotify was in French, but I was able to glean that they're from DRC. I didn't know that was a former French colony as well. This one sits somewhere between three and four. For me
Not previously familiar to me. It's nice enough, and also nice/refreshing to hear something a little different. But I'm not sure this one stands out, (amidst all of the music from Africa -- or even just Congolese music), or deserves to be on the list (my sense is that it does not belong). Actually, now that I've listened to the whole thing, I'm struggling to give even 3 stars, and tempted to give only 2. (Would go 2.5, if I could.) Probably meant more for dancing (?); for listening, it's pretty forgettable, at least for me. I guess I'll go with 3 stars, partly because I'm glad for the diversity on this list, but it's a close call, and I suspect (believe) there must be MANY other much better choices that could have been made. Side note: it's possible that part of my (personal/subjective) problem is with Congolese rumba, which (after, admittedly, not a lot of exposure) strikes me as kind of (tending to be) formulaic, and not super interesting, musically (?). Not sure I know enough to say that, though (probably not!). If either of you ever come across excellent Congolese music, please let me know. Actually, I can think of one: Konono No. 1, "Congotronics"- check it out, if you're not familiar.
Can't really compare this to much else. I don't listen to enough Central African music. I'm happy to be exposed to it, thanks to this list. It's not an English rock band. yay It's cheesy at times (mainly the singer doing the low voice embellishments) The rhythms and grooves are fun fun fun ça c'est bon ça
A great background listen
Very fun album. Enjoyed my listen but not one I would listen to again. The end of each song was also slightly repetitive but it’s not a genre I’ve listened to before so it may be that’s part of the style or my ear is not accustomed to the slight differences
Some of these aren't bad at all, good fun and had me tapping my foot. There are a couple of times in the album where it got a bit dull but overall, this is ok
Catchy stuff but I agree with another review that it's kind of made for tourist level music.
I enjoy world music. I enjoy hearing things from different cultures and experiencing those sounds. This was fine, but as I've said about other world music I've been assigned on this site, I hear better stuff regularly on NPR. And, it's not like anything on this guy's Wikipedia page makes me think he's worthy of being included here.