Reviews (page 4 of 8)
Pretty forgettable, definitely some nice instrumentation on here though so it's not bad
Perfectly fine, inoffensive, happy stuff
I’m not judging the man only the music but in this case they both suck.
nu är det inte precis min genre.. men det kändes väldigt generiskt och enformigt
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.
One of the more unique albums listened to so far.. the percussion rocks throughout, and i love how Afropop acts often use instruments like the electric guitar in a much different way to rock or western styles. Its a breezy, airy sound thats more about the rhythm, with repetitive but joyful and bouncy little riffs and noodling. But then on the other hand, this record has some songs that repeat the same phrase for like five mins that wasnt that interesting to begin with. On the songs that I was feeling the groove, i really enjoyed listening, but others dragged
Would never have listened to this otherwise! I enjoyed the vibe, a couple songs were very Luther Vandross
I don’t know what he is saying but I’m jammin. 7/10
According to Wikipedia, he is one of Africa’s most prominent musicians, but I had never heard of him before. After listening to the album, it sounded exactly like what many people would imagine as “African music.” If he was the one who helped shape or popularize that image, that’s quite an achievement. Personally, though, it’s not really my taste.
Don't know anything about this; found it a very enjoyable listen
It's interesting, I am always open to new genres, and this is definitely different from what I usually listen to. However, after a couple songs, I got quickly tired of it. I would not listen to it again. 2/5.
Solid but just not exactly my main groove. Some great songs while others were just okay
uplifting, joyful, healing
Not my thing, but clearly talented
jeg er ret sikker på at nogle af de her sange var på min træners playlist da jeg gik til zumba i fitnessworld i 2015
Lyder lige clean nok men ellers ret catchy!
Happy music, but I agree, it sounds very clean, almost clinical.
Sucks this guy’s a sex offender. T’was some happy shoulder shakin music.
Very funky, not sure if good, but it made me dance
Aight
Interesting.
var gøy å høre på - bra produksjon. men midt på treet
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
It's all a bit one note. I enjoyed it for about 5 or 10 minutes, but unless you're in a tropical resort it's just not going to hit right. Everything is well played and sounds as I assume it should, but it doesn't excite or move me.
Didn’t do a lot for me
Rhythmic fun
This was nice. I found the mix of (what I assume are) traditional acoustic instruments and full on 80s production a little bit jarring. There is some good funky electric guitar to like. Awesome rhythms
Started off well then the carnival atmosphere got too much way too much.
King of Ndombolo my ass!
In a nutshell: do the rumba- Congolese style. From the (scarce) information I've gathered, Olomide is a godfather African pop music and has a catalogue that rivals King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard. Okay... The production sounds impressive. Rhythmically good. A little corny sometimes. The track length and the template format is what's holding me back from enjoying this album. Pity that Olomide has a history of being a jerk. Overall: 4/10
Tried listening, wasn’t for me
Dont understand it, but such a happy vibe! :D
Nah. Listen to Kanda Bongo Man instead!
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.
no.
I appreciate that much of this is upbeat and sparkly and happy. It starts to get quite repetitive by 3-4 tracks in though. The tracks are incredibly long, and it gets a bit wearing. 2.5 rounded down.
Not for me.
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.
What the hell
Pleasant. Faint praise.
Nah bro
Nie wiem do czego mam to porównać, ale wiem że nie będę tego już słuchał
Some music is perfect for a clear, calm morning. The sun is rising, almost no one else is in the office, you get a new recommendation and the music sounds like nothing so much as the introduction song in a Disney movie about a jungle village. The protagonist walks down the street, people sing and dance and say hello around him, all is good. That’s my first impression of ¨Papa Bonheur,¨ a Disney movie intro song. There’s something nice about this overwhelming cheerfulness, but one does get a bit wary of it after about 13 minutes of it. Far be it for me to pretend I know anything about Congolese music, but in my heart of hearts I was hoping for Afrobeat and I got bachata. Of course, anything in the 80s sounds like it’s from the 80s and suffers accordingly. Best songs: ¨Papa Bohnheur,¨ ¨Qui Cherche Trouve¨
Good vibes! Not quite my cup of tea tho.
I’m sorry… I just don’t like this type of music. The musicians are good, but I just can’t listen to this and enjoy it.
This album was an hour of my life I’ll never get back. Beyond Olomide’s reputation as, by all accounts, a deeply unpleasant individual, the music itself is a real struggle to endure. While there are fleeting moments that hint at something better, the overall sound feels like a dated, dubbed-out soundtrack that quickly wears thin. I found no reason to return to it and no track worth revisiting. Favourite track: None. Least favourite track: Honestly, every track on the album. Album artwork: Awful.
I didn't think this was too bad. But after listening to radiohead, just about any other artist is a welcome relief. When I listened, I pictured me and my wife on a beach somewhere in the Caribbean having a Pina Colada. Can't say it's my favorite kind of music, but I've learned to appreciate because of Mindy and terrible stuff like radiohead. This dude has a shitload of music and albums so I decided to read a bit about him and it turns out he's your typical Republican leader. POS, rapist and loves the children. Sorry for the rant. I blame radiohead for my anger. Music = 3 POS person = negative 1 2
2 The best thing I can say about this album is that it made me think of being on a cruise ship. If I were in that scenario and had a piña colada in hand, I might like this a little more. As is, I found it overly long and repetitive. Like, very repetitive - am I crazy, or did this guy do the whole “who say??” thing on like every other song here? I gave him the benefit of the doubt that he wasn’t saying something more vulgar, but I guess he is actually saying “Poussez”. Per Google, that’s French for “push”, so it seems to be innocuous, but man, is it really jarring hearing it constantly as an English speaker. There’s always a bit of a barrier for me with albums from non-English speakers, and this gave me nothing to grab onto musically. I guess I’m happy to have been exposed to a new genre at least (kwassa kwassa in this case), but I’d be lying if I said it sounds unlike anything I’ve heard before. It certainly isn’t terrible, but it’s certainly not great either - it’s basically glorified background music. For as upbeat as it is, it’s kind of wild how much of a total snoozefest it turns into very quickly. Also, turns out Koffi is a sexual predator as well, so F this dude.
Eh. Sounds like I’m on cruise ship.
Sounds like an awful person
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.
Cool to see the DR of Congo represented! This was a pleasant listen. Some sweet percussion and a nice groove. I got a kick out of the fact that he was often singing in French. 7/10.
Cool to hear something quite different. Apparently Koffi is also quite influential to Congolese people pushing what was done in music at the time.
This was such a cool album. I loved the instrumentation. Almost every song just had a fun upbeat vibe
Im not sure I have much to say on this one, but what I do have to say is that the album art is honestly kinda fuckin great in some kind of way, idk. The music? I think it was good overall, a nice listen through. Id be interested to do a deeper dive into music from Africa, as I dont have a lot else to compare him to. Id give it like a 6/10??
Fun island vibes. Not being a speaker of Portuguese, I have no clue what any of the songs were about, but they were definitely a solid vibe. Good for listening in a beach or at a pool.
Fun in small doses, but it wears repetitive over the length of an album.
Nice. Good in the way that West African pop rock is always enjoyable. That irrepressible guitar sound over lovely melodies and great vocals telling a story that sounds interesting, even though it’s in a language you don’t understand. Unfortunately, this album is a little too poppy and not so creative (it becomes redundant at times). There’s definitely better Afro-Pop in the world. It’s a 3.
Not for me!! I did not enjoy this.
Is generic island music universal?
Couldn't get into it
Noncey Pedo-lomide
It's fine. Pretty pleasant for background "world" music.
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 know there is better "World" music than this. The entire album feels like the music was toned down for Western audiences. It's fine musically, just completely bland and boring.
I really have a blindspot with non-western music.
This was a STRUGGLE. Every song sounds the same.
groovin, boppin, and I'm not sure how they did it...but its also jimblin.
Bop after Bop. There was a song in a minor key, which threw me off guard, but otherwise this is what people think of when they think African Pop.
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.
Weird
The music is fun and lively. Some of the reviews here have cracked me up. It is very much made in the 90’s and in turn, sounds very much of the 90’s. I think the album would have benefited from a bit of editing. Taking some of the six minute plus songs down to three or four would have improved the pacing. 3/ 5
6.5 to a 7
This one really depends on what I’m doing while listening. 2.7
Highlight Song/s: Desespoir This one has a really cool tropical sound to it. But my god, does this album really seems to last. That may be because this is completely out of my norm.
I'm always glad to see something else here than, you know, six Elvis Costello records or three Kings of Leon, but boy, oh, boy, this one is not it. First two songs had me bouncing and tapping but that quickly gave way to the impression that this is stuff which plays on commercial boomer/gen x radio, to inoffensively fill the space in between ads. Africa's music equivalent to "Shape of You" or "Lemon Tree". "Achy Breaky Heart". The other impression, given the sound of it all: an entertainer and his arranger keyboard at an all-inclusive resort. There's a fantastic website, 👉 Radio Garden, that lets you browse the globe and tune in to any live streaming radio station. To see whether my European, mostly western music trained perspective is being unfair here, I just spent some time listening to what's actually playing in Congo, the rumba and soukous, maybe?, and for good measure, what's up in between Kenya and Guinea. Then, I returned to the album and hit Play again. Jesus. This has to be the most tepid version of whatever the list makers sought to include here. A weak 2 for the music, 0 for the both the guy and the AYMHBYD-ness of it.
Flog of a human and flog of an album!
Very fun! Upbeat and buoyant. Some of the production reminds me a lot of Graceland era Paul Simon, especially on Despoiré. ✨
Wouldn’t be the first album I’d choose but I did appreciate it. It’s a great big world out there with all kinds of music. Duh. This reads familiar.
I don't really know enough about Congolese music to judge this properly, but I found parts of it pretty danceable and uplifting. I don't think I'd listen to it again, but glad to get something different from the generator for a change!
I didn't have the same visceral reaction to this as a lot of people here; the production is definitely awful in a few places, and each song is way too long, but I can't say I mind the overall vibe *too* much. 2.5/5
This album wasn't for me, and I'm not sure who it is for musically. Maybe the language barrier has me impeded, but the music stylings were a sign of their times and kind of just sounded like I was standing in line at a Häagen-Dazs at the mall.
Decent, slightly 50s vibe to this. Makes your head want to bop.
Groovy, feelgood music. Don't really have any competence to say anything about this. Kind of enjoyable music on the background and most probably great stuff live.
This could have been better experience for me but hit me on totally wrong day.
better albums, please
African, or Congolese to be exact, salsa or cha cha is not really my thing. To be fair to Koffi, neither is any other countries or continents salsa. I hear the African vibes, I hear familiar rhythms from other songs I've not wanted to listen to, so I don't feel like missing out if I just listened a bit off of 3 or 4 songs and left it at that. I can appreciate the long career and the things he has done for the local pop culture.
This was much fun
This is a perfectly nice little album, but I don't feel like I needed to hear it before I died.
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...
Just not my cup of tea lol it wasn't terrible but not one of my favorites
Correct vibes, mais très simple. Dans le genre il y a mieux. -1 car il a agressé des enfants.
C’est cool mais rien d’exceptionnel. Ça va
Très long et répétitif, c'est pas de la mauvaise musique en soi mais on se tanne rapidement.
I gave this two listens. It didn't really rise above background music for me, but it was fine. I'm vaguely curious about some of his other music just because there's SO much of it spanning so many decades. Might be interesting to see what other kind of styles he picked up. Glad I listened to it.
It's always worthwhile to get something you know nothing about, and this couldn't be more foreign to me. At least I understood some of the French? This was enjoyable for a song, but stretched across nine 6- and 7-minute songs, it sounds like one hour-long track. At least I won't have to worry about separating the art from the artist.
Groovy, and I like the mix of languages, but my ear struggles to pick the songs apart from each other.
This is a fun and upbeat album, the groovy percussion gives it a good rhythm and you could imagine this guy puts on a party The long tracks wore a bit thin for me by the end, I wouldn't revisit but enjoyable enough
Nice and cheerful
I can only handle so much repetitive, middling, tinny guitar. This album was easily 25 mins too long. It seems like Koffi had been influential to the African music scene, however his history of both alleged and confirmed violence (toward women in particular) is frightening. All together I did not enjoy this one bit. 1/5
Meh.
Fun and groovy for about 10 minutes, but I was kind of over it after that
probably better than I give it credit for but could just not get into it.
91/1001. I'm surprised how little world music, especially African music, is on this list. I think this my 2nd album in both categories so far. (This also means that there hasn't been any Brazilian, Jamaican, Columbian, Cuban or any other Latin brilliance, no Indenesian / Balian music, no Siberian throat singing, no mysterious voices from Bulgaria, etc...at least yet). As far as this album goes, a few things: firstly, there always will be a new African superstar, who I've never heard of (and I've tried to listen to quite a lot of African music). Secondly almost all African music I hear is interesting: full of polyphonic melodies and rhythms, call and responses, groovy jamming and excellent musicians. Still, for me at least, Soukos, Highlife, Sungura and many other clean guitar picking music genres lack a sense of danger. The most well known artists kind of sound like they are tailored for western audiences, although that is probably not true. But this is what happened listening this album. I can imagine it being played at a world music festival with a culturally conscious, upper middle class whiteys drinking prosecco and dancing their fat and guilt off. Nothing wrong with that I guess? Groovy music - danger = 3
I liked this and enjoyed having it in the whole time. Hard to judge beyond that given how unfamiliar I am with the genre.
meh
This album is just totally okay. Not at all bad, quite enjoyable, but also not very attention grabbing at all. It's just there
Gets old fairly quick, very repetitive and safe. Wish I could say more.
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.
Was okay… 4/10
Good
It’s fun and different, but not something I would particularly gravitate to. I thought some of the songs dragged on a bit too long.
Great vibes and makes me want to get up and dance. I'm glad I got exposed to music like this
This album is a cheesy, awkward mess that might be somewhat okay playing very softly in the background somewhere. Again, WHY IS THIS ON THE LIST!?
So this is basically an hour-long Gatorade 'Be Like Mike' commercial. Supposedly this was his sell-out Westernized album, but damned if I could tell the difference. It is pleasant enough, but really did nothing for me. And learning about the guy behind it, I don't feel the need to delve any further. Another weird, bad pick for the 1001.
It’s got a nice beat, but it’s not my jam…
Mahalo
pu-say
Not all of this music is terrible but this guy is 100% terrible.
I wish I had been in the right headspace for this. I think there are some solid jams on here, but the day I had nothing but doom would do.
It's tough to put this one into a box because while the music itself is really nice and great, the fact that the lyrics are not in English makes it very hard to connect to anything on a deeper level. Like, okay, I don't know what the fuck I'm actually listening to. I just got more annoyed as the album went on
I’m really on the fence about this album. On one hand, I’m super stoked to finally have a non-Western album on this list. Non-English and non-Western music in general are so dramatically underrepresented that I feel they should get an automatic 4 or 5* just for existing and allowing people to broaden their horizon. On the other hand... I don’t really like Koffi Olomide, and I think it’s a really weird pick. It’s not that he’s "tailored for Western audiences" as some reviewers have suggested – he’s a HUGE deal in Africa, a legendary singer in his own country. But he’s also very far from being the most interesting or original African artist in my opinion. Musically speaking, it’s very uneven. He has a fantastic voice, no doubt about it. I always enjoy his singing. But the conga instrumentation is awfully basic, and the songs tend to be very repetitive. From a strictly musical point of view, I’d probably have rated this album a 2*. Taking all factors into consideration, I’ll go for a generous 3*. But I wish this list would have picked Malian blues or Ethio-jazz instead of a modern mainstream artist.
No va
Island music. Not my thing. No thanks. 1001 album worthy: no 103/192
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.
Interesting….
The first 2 songs were great, then it kinda fell off. Always a treat to discover new non Western artists though! Tracks to Track: Papa bonheur, Desespoir
First time listen. Enjoyed.
Great so fun
I liked it. I may never listen to it again, however. 4 stars
no
1.75
Good Stuff
Very fun.
The songs were ok on their own, but they started to all sound the same after a while, though maybe if I could understand the lyrics I would have found them more engaging. The album did not need to be an hour
It was alright, quite an upbeat album. Which helped set Monday morning on a good track, but won't be back for another listen
It was fun. Not my usual thing but it’s nice to hear something different.
Pretty groovy, but each track starts to feel extremely repetitive.
Not my jam
A true discovery. Rhythm meets soul and roots meet pop
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.
Good vibe
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
I had a skim listen to this, and it’s very non offensive and I could probably have it on in the background. Though it’s difficult to know a time I would opt to put it on.
first congalese album
Breezy, uplifting melodies for sun-drenched days. Calypso vibes to me, which is probably not right, but there's an obvious African connection there. Désespoir and Conte De Fees shine the brightest, but there's nothing really had here, albeit the runtime is maybe too long. Doesn't feel like music I should have listened to alone indoors would headphones on.
This isn't bad and is kind of fun but it's pretty easy to ignore unless you're really enjoying it. It almost feels like this is an institution and the performer knows everyone is meant to be digging it. Good voice but I didn't find a ton which surprised me.
A well produced album. Some toe tapping music, but gets a little repetitive. The last track I found repelling.
Good vibes. 80s instrumentation. Just not that exciting.
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.
Bij wereldmuziek is het altijd even wennen aan de stijl van muziek maken en met name zingen. En dan bedoel ik niet de stem van Koffi, want die is zoetgevooisd, maar dat gejammer of gemekker, maaahhhhaaaahaaaa, dat het Arabisch ook wel kent. Als je er eenmaal een beetje aan gewend bent, dan vallen me meer de ritmes op, die het tempo er lekker in houden (al zit er weinig variatie in de variatie). Een speels gitaartje erbij stemt de boel vrolijk. Het is misschien niet suitable for work, maar ik heb dit met plezier geluisterd. Ik zal het niet nog eens uit mezelf opzetten, maar ik vind het ook niet erg om opnieuw te horen. Het liefst dan wel in de buitenlucht op een zonnig vakantieadres. Ik kan me niks voorstellen bij een concert van zo'n man in januari in een bedompt zaaltje, dat zou de sfeer en mijn beoordeling compleet anders maken. Voor nu een dikke 3 sterren.
It's a shame that so many "world music" (a stupid name to begin with) albums on this list are clearly watered down versions of the local music ready-made for a Western audience. Like with this album: all the edges are sanded off and replaced by this 90s as fuck production. Africa has so much interesting music and yet on this list we get the commercialised stuff because anything remotely authenticly African is scary for western people. I don't hate this album, I hate what it represents
ÑE
Wtf is this!?
Boring. Cool that's it's African, I guess?
Ik hou gewoon heel erg niet van frans. En deze stem enzo pakt me niet echt. Ook niet barslecht maar toch,.
A lot of this ran together. It’s not bad but the songs are long (which is understandable if you’re dancing to it live and you don’t want the song to end)
Cool grooves
Skönt gung. Kanske tom kan bli en fyra med lite tid. Lite samma känsla som i Paul Simons Graceland ibland.
graphic design is my passion
1.5 - Bad
This albums ok, probably would give it 2 stars but it actually made me super curious to check out more Congolese music because it seems he has better received records besides this one and I dug the general sound.
Very feelgood throughout. Great uplifting licks and beats on every track. Shame I have to listen to these cars because it's very dance-worthy. Shame about him being a p.o.s.
Has fun moments. Great melodies, easy to listen to, but not something I'd turn my full attention to. Some perfect background music here for a tropical restaurant though
Not really my jam unless I’m sitting poolside in the tropics. But I can certainly appreciate why people like it and why it’s a big deal.
Enjoyed although songs did sound very similar by the end!
Cool calypso album and fun vibes, but songs very similar
The definition of a filler album.
groovy interesting beats appreciate it as always
Super good listen. Really enjoyed it! Recommended it to my sister. Would listen to it at work over and over.
Sounds like a cd you would find in a Congolese gift shop.
No m'ha agradat, m'ha costat escoltar-ho. Música africana en francès
Really enjoyed the music. Wish I hadn’t read the reviews about the artist’s behaviour
Fine
Some really beautiful melodies and rhythms, but even they couldn't the album from late 80s cheese effects.
Honestly, kind of a little escape for me, especially, on a Monday in America in June 2025. Has some definite haut de gamme vibes: dude is serving some engaging poussa and poussez energy…on repeat ….on multiple tracks (I throughly thought he was saying pussy over and over). His voice is pretty cool, kind of that raspy “I woke up like this” kind of way. While this is would not be my go-to, it was enjoyable…one-off sort of listen for me. One gripe is the long track lengths; they started to blur together with similar beats and phrases. Did I accidentally press the repeat button? No, I had not. That said, the sound is bright and explosive and rooted in something original and authentic, which I believe is where Talking Heads found some of their magic (looking at you, “Help Me Somebody”).
If we could give half stars, this record would earn the middling, average 2.5 it deserves. I like the feel of western and equatorial African melodies, though I tend to lean more towards smooth classic Ethiopian jazz and more aggressive afrobeat stuff like Fela Kuti. The stuff on this record all sounds upbeat and happy, though I have no idea what the lyrics are. Not typically my go-to, but I always find this stuff pretty inoffensively listenable, if only in a "browsing candles and scarves in some white hippie store or cruise ship soundtrack" kinda way. That said, there are better examples of this style that I prefer. The weird breaking glass samples on "Desespoir" following the 80s cheese-synth intro was unexpected and pretty rad, the only other place I've heard that was on "Der Kuss" by Neubauten. "Dit Jeannot" is a standout track and a pretty good closer. My listening partner just hears "pussy" in the French "poussez" lyrics, and I ain't mad at it.
I love African music, it just sounds so joyous even though I have no idea what’s being said in this case. Either way, great for a Sunday morning…
Len Houmous once borrowed one of Koffi’s jackets for a night out during Houmous & Chutneys famous Congolese Tour in 87. He’s actually what led to him meeting his 11th wife, Nzuzi! 3.4
This was a nice album to listen to. The music was upbeat and peaceful sounding, I'm not sure if the lyrical content reflects the mood I got from the music.
nice enough album. Not sure why is in the list but I am sure it broke some ground somewhere
4 good vibes
Nice for a change but didn’t blow my mind
Wish I didnt know about the thing
Nichts für meine Ohren!
Ok I’m ready to die for this album. At first I saw the album cover and I got excited cause I thought “omg is there outsider music on this list?! I fucking LOVE outsider music!” Unfortunately I don’t think this can legally be called outsider music in any way, but it did not disappoint at all. Imagine a low budget/low-fi Disney soundtrack set in Africa. Bang! That’s the album, that’s literally what it sounds like. It’s so joyful and happy, it’s fun and exciting. While also being extremely lowfi to the point where it’s comedy, like legitimately funny. But in the most endearing and adorable way possible. But I don’t want it to sound like I’m talking down to the album. Yes it has moments that are funny and cute, but it’s also legitimately good music. When I compare it to a Disney soundtrack I don’t mean that lightly or as a slight against it. It is a wildly energetic and euphoric album with so much life to it. I don’t think that is an easy accomplishment. I think to make something like this that’s so honest and pure without coming across as fake or sleazy is incredibly difficult. I’ve become a Koffi Olomide fan just from this one album. I have no idea if his other work is as good or if it’s even the same but I do know that I’ll be on the hunt for a copy of this album because it might be one of my favorites now.
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.
Impressive musicianship, but not really my bag tunes-wise.
Not really my thing. Nice background music at a bar in Benidorm or something though I reckon. Thst boosts it to 3/5
Good album, too jovial for me
Some fun moments. Catching up so probably didn’t give it as close a listen.
Gar keine Lust das anzuhören obwohl es eh nett klingt (Musik aus DRC)
Songs are too long (respectfully) Not bad but not good either
Happy, funky music.
Interesting choice of an album and something completely different. Some interesting melodies and rhythms. Not too fond of the vocal delivery and there is, of course, language barrier for me to really appreciate it.
His voice is great and the music is really fun. I don't know what he's talking about but I'm happy to be with him. Solid album. Best song: Desespoir
Is this a list of sex offenders rather than albums you should listen to before you die? They seem to be indifferentiable.
This was a chore to get through. I had to break it into 3-4 sections just to get through. Oof
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.
A bit too cheesy for me.
2+ Stars (6/15)
So 90’s. Always fun to hear bongo xylophone sounds
not bad but every song overstay its welcome. why is almost every song like 6 minutes long??? amazing cover art tho
Caught the vibe. Good stuff.
Tiring. The songs are long and sound more or less the same
Didnt understand it
I gave it a good go but it’s just not my type of thing whatsoever. Some of the songs reminded me of the Lilo & Stitch soundtrack but maybe that’s a result of having kids and listening to a lot of Disney music. Top Track - Désespoir for the sole reason that I found the opening really cheesy and it made me laugh.
I had never heard this kind of music before. It’s very fun to listen to and fascinating.
This made me want to dance
It appears that my voyage across the ocean of a thousand albums has gone awry as I am now shipwrecked on a vast tropical paradise. The locals are nice - we've spent time splitting coconuts on the shore together. I might check out the no-doubt boobytrapped temple that is peeking out above the treeline. I could also pay tribute to the volcano god and mess about with the cheeky macaques that are all throughout the tropical rainforest. I do have an hour to kill here, after all. It's nice. A pleasing enough listen throughout, even if the songs are way, way longer than they ever needed to be. While the instrumentals are very samey and minimal they have enough of energy to where it keeps the listening experience fresh. I enjoy the "plucky" instruments on the songs - particularly on "Qui Cherche Trouve". I think the instrument is some variety of guitar, though I'm really not sure. I also quite like the marine ambience that hangs in the back of these songs. I have beyond-zero clue what the exact instrument is, but you get me right, right? I've got to check out the only map that I have of this place as I have no idea how I wound up here. I'm talking about the 1001 Albums book. Let's see. Most commercially successful artist in Africa. "The songs have a typically Congolese structure". They really weren't lying on that one - very formulaic. "His lyrics [...] are clearly the work of a poet". I wouldn't go that far, but then again I don't understand a lick of this album. Despite being stranded in the dead center of bumblefuck nowhere, I'm reluctant to bust out the "nowhere album" moniker for this album. I think world music occupies an important niche on this list and I enjoy the "exotic feel" of this album. That being said, I feel like there is probably a better showing from this genre, even if Koffi Olomide earns his stripes by being the most commercially successful African musician.
Decent listen, cool to listen to stuff worldwide and not just sung in English. This is an album rating website and not an artist rating platform, so I won't comment on the artist.
Nice to see this kind of music in this list.
After a German artist, Koffi is only the second non-English-speaking artist we had. Congolese rumba fits surprisingly well under this grey sky, but I would have preferred a more organic sound. The tracks are long, and listening to the whole album in one go gets tiring, though I’m not very familiar with the style and I am pretty sure I could get used to it. I especially enjoy the more nuanced songs like “Conte de fées.”
Pretty chill, pleasant music. Kind of "backgroundy" to me, though.
its too cold for this
I tried but couldn't get through this one.
It’s fun but feels like a 90s Sandals Resort album
I don't know what he was saying most of the time, but it was fun and dancy. It made me want to dance in my chair and be at a club or beach and enjoy the day into the evening. It would have fit into a lot of 80's soundtracks for a beach setting.
This had a fun sparkle to it. Cool upbeat jams to vibe out to. It got a little samesy as it went on, but an enjoyable listen!
Very nice to have some representation from non-western music on this list. I wasn't the biggest fan of this one though. It's a very cheery and upbeat album for sure, but the late 80's / 90's production it's drenched in hampers my enjoyment of it a lot. I'm also not the biggest fan of Soukous in general, the music doesn't really have hooks and just goes on and on and on. It's nice to have the tempo increase in the songs after a few minutes, where they reach their peak enjoyment for me. Still happy to have heard this album and I feel it does deserve its placement here.
Very nice.
Good.
Not really my type of music.
Another cool detour here! While I did enjoy this one, it didn't grab me in the same way that the album from Youssou N'Dour did. There was less that stood out to me, and overall the music sort of faded into the background more. Maybe it was the dated 90s keyboard sounds and instrumentation, maybe it was because his voice wasn't as unique, or maybe for some other reason. I don't recall much focus on any individual instrument, so maybe the lack of 'solos' or other features is what it was missing for me. The album certainly isn't bad, but it just didn't bring the same excitement and energy while listening as the Youssou N'Dour album did. I found it interesting that there was at least one vocal/musical part that would repeat every couple of songs, without the context to understood what was being sung, I wonder if it might be some element to create cohesion in the album, whether from a lyrical/meaning standpoint, or just simply a repeated musical motif. Happy to have listened but not much reason to come back to this, as I'm sure there is plenty of other African music that tickles my fancy more than this one.
I like it but I have no idea what they are singing about. Music was fun and album was enjoyable.
I’ve grown to like some world music over the years. Can’t say I know enough about the style to give a wordy review, but I can say I liked this one.
This album makes me feel like I am watching any 80s movie that has a scene at some beach resort, and this is the live band playing in the background.
Wet Toast, nothing more.
interesting
Absolutely not for me.
deff a great argument for not playing to a click even tho Koffi is Congolese, he makes perfect pina colada music
2nd song rewired my brain
The album cover just looks dodgy… but you know what I do respect, with the little bit of french I understand he’s the only artist that is thankful for being on the list according to his Spotify bio
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...
Joyful and upbeat.
12 times the same song. Not a bad song though.
Sounds like a foreign establishing shot in a movie. Groovy and polished, but more atmosphere than engagement.
5/9/25. New sound that I'm not familiar with, but that's why I'm on the 1001 album journey!
I know some grandmother LOVES this man to death
Happy music. 3
A fun album, sounds like you are on a cruise ship in the caribbean. But sadly, as is the case with most world albums on this list, it's probably not worthy of a spot on it. The musicianship is fine, the melodies are fun and uplifting. Songs are easy going and breezy, perfect for a relaxing day on the beach or a yacht. The vocal go well with the music, nothing stands out. Having said that, the album isn't really special in any way, it feels average and doesn't offer much quality to the listener. One more average world album, hope they get better later on.
Now look, I'd love to talk about all the horrible things this man has done but this is a site where we review music, not people. Not that it matters anyway because Haut de gamme / Koweit, rive gauche absolutely sucks. There is of course the fact that Koffi himself gets way too into the lyrics making them sound creepy even though i don't know what he is saying as i do not speak French, But the main issue is the music. While the novelty of them sounding like Super Nintendo songs in CD quality was there at the beginning, it quickly wore off when the songs went on for so long and did absolutely nothing to earn their length. Typically, i would say this is a case of separate the art from the artist but i don't think i need to do that when the art sucks. Best Song: Elixir Worst Song: Conte de fees
pleasant
In the United States there is a group of water parks in Wisconsin known as the Wisconsin Dells. This includes various massive, themed water resorts in which you'll get the "premium" water park experience. That is, to say, as little used band aids in the lazy river as possible. One of these parks is known as the Wilderness, which is vaguely jungle themed. Of course, that means cheap sounding, vaguely African music plays throughout the whole location. On repeat. All day. This album, is that music. A bare minimum, diverse selection of tropical songs that fail to sound any different from one another, being just "not American" enough to fit the oddly racist themeing, while still not scaring any visitors away with anything too different. Just like the Wilderness, this album was selected by a white guy trying his best to be open to other styles and cultures, but does the bear minimum in actually embracing these vultures and looking beyond surface level. Not helping things is of course the selection chosen is a pedophile. I'm pretty sure Wisconsin Dells at least avoids that with its selection. Maybe. Who knows. This album sucks.
V weird
The Good: High Level! The Bad: Something something left… The Ugly: Not understanding the level that we are high in… Who’d have thought that one needs to listen to an album by a Congolese artist before one dies? I was always under the impression that Senegal was where it’s at… Also, to all those snowflakes who rate this album low because they scan through a Wikipedia page to read something about a rape and instantly cancelling the artist… keep reading the damn page, to see that he was never convicted of rape, but he did receive a conviction for assault… Anyways, I’ve listened to the album, guess I can die now?
As always, I have no idea what he is singing about. The second track, Desepoir, sounds initially like an 80's ballad. I expected to hear Peabo Bryson start singing. This is the kind of music I could hear while hanging out at the pool or in the elevator while visiting a tropic environment. This music definitely gets my butt shaking, and though I would probably not intentionally turn the album on, I did enjoy the music...even if some of the songs were a bit long. I am not smart enough about world music to know how this differs from other world/dance music, but I do know I enjoyed what I heard.
This one just didn’t hit for me. It’s fine, but nothing jumped out
Nice album.
This album, although catchy, got very repetitive very quickly. The songs are about 7 minutes long across the board, and they inevitably all sound the same at around the 2 or 3 minute mark. It’s good music to move to, but not so great to just sit and listen to. Olomide has a nice voice, and I do think this album was kind of fun. It just wasn’t really for me. I would’ve like to know a bit more about the lyrics for context, but translating the songs was quite difficult to do.
Esse disco é tão fora do meu habitual e referências de música que acho até difícil avaliar. Tem umas guitarras legais as vezes e a percussão tbm, mas além disso não sei muito o que dizer.
Album number 1,000 and it's by a convicted rapist making music you would find in touristy bars and restaurants. Yay…
I'm guessing this album isn't included in the post-2012 edition of the book.
An OK offering of bright beats, though does nothing to effectively showcase the Congolese roots or drive the African sound into the 90s. After the first two tracks, there is very little to talk about. Best Tracks: - Papa Bonheur Worst Tracks: - Porte-Monnaie - Obrigado Rating: 4/10
Veldig gøy, kom i godt humør:) (av musikken, ikke artisten når jeg fant ut..)
I do like the afrobeat sound, I have done since I first heard Graceland. What Graceland has that this is lacking somewhat is a western structural songwriting style - whilst this all sounds good it is very repetitive, with songs consisting of a single rhythm pattern repeated and repeated with no bridge, verse / chorus or middle eight for variety. It’s fine, but it hangs around too long.
Fit right in
Why album generator? Why???
I like how this has African music in it. It being different is much of the reason to listen to this album but it doesn’t keep your attention because after a while it sounds like music at a tropical themed bar
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.
1.5
Vacation vibes but didn't finish the album
Funky fun album for summer vibes. I actually really enjoyed this album while working outside.
Not only is it mid but this guy is a contender for one of the ugliest album covers on Spotify, shit's hilariously awful
Hell yes, so amazing this is on the list!! Loved it!!
Fantastic!
This was fun!
There was not enough variety in this one to keep me hooked. I imagine it would be fine to listen to while laying on a beach with a drink in hand, but in normal circumstances it becomes quite boring and repetitive. Someone mentioned it sounds like royalty free music and I'm afraid it's an accurate description. 2 stars
Eh, interesting album for sure. Won't listen again.
The songs just drag on a bit too long. Once they hit the 4 to 5 minute mark, I'm ready to move on. It'd be fine if it were only one or two songs that were really long, but all of them are well over 5 minutes (okay, one song is just at 5 minutes). The music doesn't evoke much excitement despite the upbeat tempo, and it all sounds samey. Definitely not my jam.
Sure
Kind of funny that I’ve gotten several African albums in the past couple weeks! I usually enjoy them, but this felt the weakest out of those I’ve listened to recently - a little too bland, formulaic maybe. I can’t say I actively enjoyed it much.
Nope. 1/5
This was fun to jam to on an island
This rocked, it was such a fun listen. 4/5 Fav song: papa bonheur
This was a fun listen. Didn't pay super close attention but it was solid
Didn’t hate it
I tried... but no
I’m sure if I saw this live it would be infectiously fun. Listening to it on its own it all just fades into itself. 2.5/5
One of those albums that listening to in the sunshine, drink in hand, dancing away in a crowd might be fun. In the cold light of day it's bright, breezy but boring.
Not really my thing but I appreciate it.
This was nice, good vibes, made enjoyable background music. Language barrier and what I assume are Congolese traditional melodies meant I struggled to pick out differences, blended into one a bit. That said, do like when these African artists I wouldn't otherwise hear come up on the list.
Jolly. Unlike the chap himself, it seems he has had few transgressions. Gets really repetitive after a certain point without being able to understand what's going on with the lyrics. There was one track in the middle with a few bells and whistles but otherwise perfunctory.
Was quite on board with this initially, but it's pretty long and without me understanding the lyrics it started to drag a bit. It's nice and jolly though, not offensive. 2.5
It was ok, nice to have some non western music. Shame he is a piece of shit though. Trying to separate the art from the artist isn’t always wasy
1.5
2.5
I did not think this was horrid. In fact I think I could be something I could listen to if the production wasn't so chintzy. This did not only sound cheap for 1992, it would have sounded cheap in 1985. The freakin keys and drum sounds give me 80s consumer grade Yamaha feel, you know the kind you bought at Target. Just a step above Casio. If it had a more rich robust sound, I might be fine with it. But it just sounds like NPR royalty free music as is. (4.5/10) ★★
The songs overstay their welcome, and it is way too 90s sounding. 2 stars
I always hate rating stuff like this, because I always wonder if there's some cultural barrier affecting me, but then I remember there's African music I actually like -- Mdou Moctar, Fela Kuti, Songhoy Blues, Youssou N'Dour. This one isn't those. I think it comes across as pretty cheesy and sounds pretty 80s, which isn't good for an album from 1992. The keyboard sounds are horrific. All the songs overstay their welcome too -- it's an hour long for 9 songs, and the songs don't really go anywhere. A couple people said it sounded like cruise ship music, which is pretty accurate. I keep waiting for Buster Poindexter to jump in and be like "Feeling hot, hot, hot!" . "Conta de Fees" was alright. 1 star.
2.5
Possibly the crappest music I’ve heard for this project so far that isn’t by Robert Wyatt or The Residents. Just very crappy conga music caked with bad vocals and ultra cheesy Whitney Houston keyboards too often. On top of that, this dude has been accused and found guilty of sexual assault and battery numerous times so no need to give his music any extra consideration. Think I’ll stick to my Ryan Adams and Ducktails, thanks.
Absolutely no idea how I feel, since, like I said last time I got an album like this, I don’t exactly speak the language, so I can’t appreciate it, so I’m just going to give it an average score because giving it a one Star just because I don’t speak the language is petty. Rating: Average (Decent ☆☆☆) Favorite Tracks: N/A Can’t help much mention it, but this guy is a POS, I try not to let that kinda stuff effect my ratings so I view stuff from an objective pov, but that shit is fucked.
When getting albums like this, I feel really un-cultured and some may call me narrow minded. I just don’t like this kind of music. I get that there are some nice danceable rhytms, and the music makes me smile from time to time. However, the songs are far too long and I lose interest about halfway through them
Upbeat vibes. The bright, clean, and smooth guitar lines were the highlight of the album. The sound soured upon learning more about the artist while finishing out the album.
African (?) instrumentation, baritone (?) singing