Reviews (page 5 of 8)
Bit too happy and bouncy for me.
Liked that it was something different. Liked that it's a different language but didn't really hold my attention.
Ok, I’m rating this on the music alone, as I rarely read the Wikipedia page for every album. Wow, I picked a whopper of an album to change up my habits. The guy seems like a piece of shit. Having said that, the music is “okay”, as it reminds me what you would hear if you were boarding a Carnival Cruise trip. In that environment it’s pleasant enough (especially with a drink or two), but I’ll never go back to it in any other environment.
I know congolese music is supposed to be pepetitive and all, but it's just not fun enough to warrant it's lenght
This album on this list makes absolutely no sense to me.
Well... It wasn't that bad, but in terms of african/congolese music, there's plenty of better options that could have been on this list.
Why?
Digg
feels kind of weightless compared to other central african music I'm familiar with but it's pleasant enough
6.5/10
01) Papa Bonheur - 7,0 02) Désespoir - 7,0 03) Koweït, rive gauche - 6,5 04) Qui cherche trouve - 5,5 05) Elixir - 5,5 06) Porte Monnaie - 6,0 07) Conte de fées - 5,5 08) Obrigado - 5,0 09) Dit Jeannot - 5,5 TOTAL: 5,94 (59/100) Current ranking: 389/490
decent but wouldn’t listen again, it was just okay, songs dragged
4/10 - the songs sounded almost the same and were not that good in my opinion.
Generally a pleasant listen
World music being lively, upbeat, infectious and dance-able. While musicianship isn't bad it soon ticks all the boxes of resort background music.
A bit monotonous. Tired of listening to this album after awhile.
This is a masterclass in percussion and vocal instrumentation. I don't understand a word but can feel the joy, the pain, and the praise as intended in every track.
Not for me 1/5
Favorite Track: Qui cherche trouve
Fun at first, and good to move to but mundane after awhile.
I wasn't feeling this one. It was fine, but a necessary listen? I'm not sure.
I've really enjoyed all of the African music this list has put in front of me. This... not so much. Soukous sounds a lot like Soca to my ears and I'm just not fond of it. Koffi has an undeniably strong voice, but I just can't get into the jerky rhythms and pop production overall.
Lmao at this cover, don’t know much about African music but this was a fun time
Not bad. Varied and high energy. French. 4/5
it's kinda fun without sounding like it has any hard hitting impact, sounds like 80s samba music, album did not grow on me and just wanted it to be done about half way through
Makes me want a Nandos
This was a fun shake your bottom around the house listen.
3-
This is the 50th album I’m rating. This probably isn’t in English so this’ll be very interesting. The last foreign language album I got was fantastic so I hope this’ll be great too. Adding to my Playlist - Papa Bonheur, Désespoir, Koweït, Rive Gauche, Qui Cherche Trouve, Élixir, Porte-Monnaie, Conte de Fées, Obrigado, and Dit Jeannot. Not Adding to my Playlist - Nothing. Papa Bonheur - My French teacher would be very disappointed in me because I don’t understand this. All in all I liked 9/9 songs. This was kinda boring but it was pretty good and pretty fun.
Made me want to dance but I simultaneously lost my mind because I swear the same song played 4 or 5 times throughout the album
"Haut de gamme/Koweit, rive gauche" is the ninth solo album by Congolese singer-songwriter, dancer and producer Koffi Olomidé. The music is a blend of Congolese rumba, Tcha Tcho (slower style of soukos which is dance music) and kwassa kwassa (a dance). This album propelled Koffi to stardom in Africa and Europe. The first song and single "Papa bonheur" begins with that Congolese rumba beat. Cheery female backing vocals. There's acoustic guitar and a rattle. Catchy! It's about a romantic relationship. "Kuweit rive gauche" slows things down a bit. Koffi is singing and talking softly. The beats are in the background. Heartfelt vocals as he sings about the loss of a person he loved, Angie. Poppy high-pitched guitars and percussion musically anchor "Porte-monnaie." Koffi and the female backing vocals are singing and laughing. The pace picks up. Porte-monnaie is a small bag for holding money. The closing song "Dit Jeannot" has multiple lead vocalists and a more serious tone. It's a song commenting on social injustices, poverty and struggles of everyday life. This is an album with mostly cheerful and danceable songs along with a few series ones. The music features polyrhythmic percussions and high-pitched guitars. Koffi's mostly deep baritone range from purposely restrained to more celebratory. The female backing vocals play a key spot. These songs are fairly long, in the five-to-seven minute range and there's a trend for the pace to gradually pick up throughout the song ending in dance mode if you will. At times and with my limited experience in these musical genres, I thought a good comp was a mix of Buster Poindexter's "Hot Hot Hot!" and Paul Simon's "Graceland." Things could be worse. Overall, a fun time and decent listen.
Enjoyed this - nice background music for a resort vacation. Or, at least that's what I was daydreaming about while at work. 3/5
For fans of cheesy 90's production (complete with tacky midi sounds), African rhythms and the French language. Robert, mate, you might have messed up with these African album picks, clearly there must be better stuff out there.
nice vibe
Not my style
a unique sound, and very melodic. You can hear some of the French/Belgian influences there, but this is really its own thing.
Gear: Abyss DIANA MR Artwork: 🫵🟪🟩 Production: 😐🙂👌 Music: 🎸🪘🕺💃🇫🇷🌍 Rating: 🕺(💃)/5
2.5 It was fine! Very white of me but I imagined Paul Simon singing over a lot of the tracks lol
Very long, fun, but I didn't understand it at all, so I don't want to listen to it again.
I’ve never heard of Koffi Olomide before, but I tend to enjoy modern music from Africa, so I have some pretty high hopes for this album. Despite going into this album with some high hopes and an open mind, I wasn’t really impressed by it. My biggest complaint is that this album was pretty boring, and none of the songs really went anywhere interesting. Some songs had some synthesizer arrangements that I enjoyed, but those sounds wound up being pretty sparse in the songs where they popped up. This album wasn’t bad, but it was just bland. I don’t understand this is on this list when an artist like William Onyeabor isn’t represented at all.
Pleasant but repetitive
I dug this. Found it curious how much it reminded me of the Malian guitar music I have listened to. Then I wondered if this was just an ignorant all African music sounds alike to me thing.
Definitely fun, but I don’t understand a word of it.
No
I really enjoyed his vocal delivery and the blending of Congolese and Latin rhythms is very easy to listen to. The production I found at times a bit jarring and very early nineties. Often the intros gave way to beautiful pieces.
As soon as he answered the telephone mid-song on the first track I knew this was going to be a fun album. A little repetitive, but fun.
this was fine. it started out a lot of fun but got repetitive pretty quickly
Not usually what I would listen to but, it was not awful.
FINALLY, something unfamiliar! French Afropop? More more more please
Good but a little dated around the edges
It's ok
Reminds me of lady smith black Mombasa sometimes. Reminds me of some classic 80s city pop. A little cheesy. Very fun/well played and produced. Makes me think of vapor wave 90’s commercials showing off tropical vacations
Never heard of this artist. Should be interesting. Definitely respect all types of music, especially international music. Just not for my ears. Very interesting.
OK but nothing special.
Didn't know what to make of this. Ok, apart from cheesy electric piano.
African rhythms, something quite foreign for me, but it was a positive experience. Just general good vibes. Probably won't remember anything about this album in a day or so.
Sounds like the music that would play during the VHS tapes about the history of Africa you would watch in middle school. Tbh it's hard for me to really appreciate albums that aren't in English or at least Spanish
Some okay background noise, but every song going around 7 minutes each makes sure that they all overstay their welcome.
African Soukus music for people who really hate African Soukus music, By Mbokomu, of all those 1000's of amazing albums the Congo has to offer, THIS is the one that makes the pick? THIS ONE?
Meh, danceable music, get outta my face
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 stuff. probably fun to workout/dance to.
Really good, but not my style. I'd definitely listen to it in a playlist, but I don't see myself listening to the album on it's own.
Nope
Fun African Congolese Soukus. Fantastic beat. Even has some cheesy ballads. Quite varied album. Makes you want to dance.
This was really nice to listen to. Upbeat and pretty.
Day386 - here’s a joke for you. what does a french seal sound like?
I appreciated this as an introduction to a new genre of music. Maybe they should have picked something else, but I'm still glad to be more familiar with Congolese music now.
It's a fine album with quite varied instrumentation. I don't mind not being able to understand the lyrics. I love African melody and best choices from this era and maybe even a bit earlier. Still, kinda leaves me wanting a touch on several levels. Feels unbalanced in some way on most tracks.
It's conventional World Beat. There's nothing particularly original here -- you've heard one song, you've heard them all.
Huh
Grooved to this.
Neat album, shame the guy seems to be a dirtbag
It’s not that this was bad but it’s just not something I’d ever actually select. Out of my q zone
I had fun with this one, lots of dancing around the house
Fun vibe
it's different, but that's not enough to make it good. It seems like background music at a beach bar.
Surprised at how dated this sounds. Usually 'world' music tends to keep a certain timelessness, with only the sound recording quality really varying from era to era, but here the choice of sounds makes the record sound very of its time. The songs also go on for too long. However, I could see myself revisit this and enjoying it more then.
It’s calypso. Would work for a beach party. Not bad. Not my favorite style.
Mostly boring and whatever. Also dude is a creeeeeeep 3/10
This was nice background music. No idea what the fella was singing about but it sounded alright.
This was so fun!
Pretty cool
...
Was super charming at the beginning, but the songs and the album ended up feeling a bit too long
It’s sounds exactly like the album cover looks
Not for me. Also too long. 2 stars
It was good it just felt like every other song had the same sound
5/10
Musicianship is good but the songs kind of bleed together after a while and the music isn't totally my jam. Also, he's an alleged scumbag.
Toe-tappingly catchy
His voice is mesmerizing and the layers of rhythm happening are really fun and infectious.
It's not bad, I don't mind stuff like this coming up on the list as it provides and interesting change of pace and stuff I wouldn't otherwise seek out. Alright in the background, feels a bit like tourist trap music.
Coming across gems like this, is the reason why I decided to do the project.
Fine. Nothing wrong with it and fun rhythms but not really anything interesting happening whatsoever
This would be ok if I was sitting at a beach 🏖️ bar drinking a tropical drink but otherwise I didn't really feel it
Some of these songs sound like the songs that would play during closing credits of an 80s movie that took place in a place that might have been "exotic" to Americans back then. Think Romancing the Stone, Jewel of the Nile, Weekend at Bernie's, Lion King, etc. Nothing really exciting about this. No real passion in the songs. Inoffensive background music at an outside beach bar at an all inclusive resort. Minus stars for his inexcusable behavior. Minus more stars for wearing white after Labor Day.
Another enjoyable album this region
Reading about the guy completely killed the vibe on this.
Not my speed
Liked this album. Reminds me of some music from Soweto that I enjoy and was being made around the same time. 3.5/5 Will listen again
I seem to be having a run of duds at the moment on this project, so hopefully the new year will bring me back to some good stuff. This feels like it's such a low point, that literally whatever I get next is going to be an improvement in some way. It's almost an hour of someone moaning in French over a generic World/ Elevator muzak background. It's the sort of music I would expect to hear in an African-themed restaurant, where the owners were playing it safe and wanted the most bland music possible. It's not joyful in any way, and realising I'm listening to a guy who sexually assaulted a 15 year old just makes it all the more easy to give this only one star.
What a cheerful album :), can't help but smile while listening, feels like a tropical party, very fun and joyous.
Kind of sounded like resort music :/
Very enjoyable.
Alright as background music but got a bit samey after a while. Nonetheless it was tuneful. 3*
Thought this was really good. I enjoyed it probably a 4 but also not sure I would ever choose to listen to it (or remember).
nice melodies and instrumentals
Enjoyably breezy afro beats with lovely smooth vocals. A little dated / cheezy around the edges but a very nice listen that washed over me in a good way (as have no idea what any of the songs are about).
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
I don't really know much Afro pop, and I know nothing of Olomide or Congolese music, but this album was a pleasant surprise overall. I found the production to be a bit sterile and almost every song started out with a very saccharine poppy sound that really turned me off, but surprisingly, each song morphed into a satisfying grove, no matter how rocky the start. I didn't love it, but I did really enjoy it.
There is a yeah yeah yeah’s album that belongs on this list, but it’s Fever to Tell.
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.
This was fine. Then I read about Koffi. And it wasn't fine anymore.
happy
It was ok I suppose, I didn't hate it. I like the bit of variety this gives compared to the rest of the albums on this list It's very samey, which is bad for an hour long album as it just gets tedious to listen to fast Didn't really invoke anything in me but I can see why people would enjoy this
Good vibes
Good dinner music
Just took one look at this guy and knew I was going to love this album immediately. Bright, joyful, and catchy; it could almost be the music from Sonic The Hedgehog. I wish every Monday morning started with this soundtrack.
Summer 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.
If you went to the Barbès quarter in Paris, and asked young Africans and French Africans there about their opinion on this album, they probably won't give a rat's ass about it. And if you asked old-timers with a distinctive sense of fashion (la sape), of course, they would say they love or loved Koffi Olomide's music. Yet my best guess is that they could select any of his albums, and not specifically this one. But what do I know? I should probably give a neutral 3/5 grade to this one, as it's out of my cultural sphere of reference. And yet it's hard for me to remain neutral ... a) Most definitely, this music does not sound as tight and intense as the one of Fela. b) Whenever Koffi sings or speaks in French (my native language), his lyrics reach cringeworthy levels I won't even address here. c) The r*pe allegations. Oops, my bad. French courts of law finally stated that Koffi's minor dancer might not have been the victim of SA from him after all. Koffi just kidnapped her, you see. Just as he kicked another dancer onstage, and didn't strangle her right away. We're all feeling better now, aren't we? 1/5 for the purposes of this list of essential albums. 6 for more general purposes (5 + 1) Number of albums left to review: the 80-ish extra LPs listed on this app, included because different past editions of the book have mentioned albums that have since been dropped in subsequent editions. Number of albums I'll keep in my own list: half, approximately Number of albums I *might* keep: a small quarter, approximately. Number of albums I won't keep: a large quarter (including this one)
Background music
sei nem o que comentar honestamente mas n achei bom não
capas fodas. é interessante, mas num eh mto pra mim nao! dito isso, o mano tem várias acusação e processo nas costas O CARA SEQUESTROU EX DANÇARINAS TÁ LIGADO que doideira
Fun tunes, unfortunately he sounds like a generally bad person.
Very nice … and so great not to have a USA or UK album …
I find it interesting that a lot of people that have listened to and reviewed this album for this project are acting all holier than thou about the awful things this guy has done and giving the album poor reviews, while at the same time handing out great reviews to equally shitty artists just because they know who they are or are more famous (Michael Jackson, Kanye, etc.). I'm not saying this guy gets a pass, and I'm not saying the other shitty people with albums on this list should either. I'm just saying that if we're going to condemn this guy's work because of the person he is, let's also condemn the work of artists like Jackson and Kanye for the same reasons. I stated in my review of "My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy" that I wanted to review the art, not the artist, to separate the two from each other. Some people find that impossible to do, and I don't blame them for it. But the point of this project is to listen to and review albums, so that's what I’m going to do. So, with that in mind, let's review this album. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Maybe it's just that I don't understand the style of music enough to understand why this is so repetitive. Melodies, guitar tones, arpeggios, and even specific phrases appear and reappear throughout this album enough that I'm left assuming that it must be a feature, not a bug. That the culture around this music is such that you just cannot have this style of music without certain elements. Like how a lot of rock music uses heavy distortion on guitars, metal uses double bass drums, reggaeton uses that same reggaeton beat in most of its songs, and how Radiohead wouldn't be Radiohead if you could actually understand Thom Yorke (still not over that...). So I'm willing to assume that I just don't know enough about the genre here, and that the repetitiveness is intentional and celebrated by those who have intimate knowledge of it. But it didn't work for me, honestly. I loved what I heard in the first couple tracks, but the more certain themes or motifs kept returning, the more I realized just how one-note the whole thing seemed. Bummer, because a lot of it is a fun, happy time with music you could easily dance to either in your seat or on a dance floor. On the whole, this had potential but just didn't get any more interesting or better after the first couple of tracks. Two stars. Standout Tracks: Papa bonheur, Désespoir, Qui cherche trouve, Porte-monnaie
Did not understand a word. Ok overall, but most of it sounded the same. 2.5/5
Quick history lesson about afro-cuban music: In the early 20th century, afro-cuban recordings proved to be very popular throughout America. EMI was doing quite well selling these records, until the Great Depression hit in the '30s. It was decided that in order to boost sales, EM would launch their G.V. series which would see pressings of their most popular afro-cuban records being distributed worldwide. EMI agents from several countries around the world, including the Belgian Congo, would help sell records to distributors to help make up for lost profits in America. One commercial radio station owner in the Belgian Congo, Hourdebise, would heavily feature G.V. records on his broadcast, which helped to boost the popularity and influence of afro-cuban music within the sub-Saharan country. With the music showing some resemblances to traditional central african music, many residents of the Belgian Congo took to the Latin American rhythms and began incorporating it into their own songs. Thus, we get Congolese Rumba. This would eventually evolve into Soukous, which is a genre that would see heavy guitar work that was intricate, bright, and set to the rhythms of afro-cuban music. Enter Koffi Olomide, originally a ghostwriter for artists making Soukous music and eventually breaking out in his own career. His workrate combined with his various collaborations had propelled him to become one of the most popular African musicians of the 20th century. Haut de gamme / Koweït, rive gauche is just one of many albums from his impressive catalogue, though this one sees the genre of Soukous being weighed down by cheesy '90s production. What should hold more weight and warmth ends up coming across as shallow and boring. I'm sure the songs would find more success outside of the album context, but I did not find this to be an experience I would revisit.
Groovy, but I don't have the energy to groove for a full hour. 3/5
It's decent music, but it may have been cheapened by imitators of this style in pop culture.
World -> 2
Interesting but not fir me
It's pretty
Haut de gamme / Koweït, rive gauche Bit of a character by the looks of things from his Wikipedia page, and by character I mean he looks like a bit of a wrong’un. I’m not at all familiar with Soukous music apart from perhaps hearing the name once or twice, so I don’t really have a frame of reference for this, but from reading about it looks like it’s a good representation of it, and he’s one of the most popular African musicians of all time. It’s a thoroughly enjoyable album though, apart from the odd occasion when some 80s/early 90s production and sounds creep in, like the very dated piano on Desespoir, the start of Elixir and the synths on Porte-monnaie, and an hour is also quite a long runtime for the 9 songs. Despesoir also carries more than a hint of I Know What I Know in the bass, although that may be a common motif in African music (although I would presume) DRC Congo and South Africa have different musical cultures. And after the danceable upbeatness of the first two tracks I really like the slower pace of Koweit, Rive Gauche, and the slightly more low key Qui Cherche Trouve. Elixir, Porte-monnaie are very good, Dit Jeannot is excellent and Conte de Fees and Obrigado are decent enough. Even if I don’t think I actually know enough about this type of music to distinguish what is actually good, this coming up is what’s great about doing the list, I’d never have found this on my own - it’s great to find things in styles and genres outside my normal stuff and outside of the UK/US. I’d definitely listen again and will try some more Soukous music too, so for those reasons I’ll tip it into a 4. 🌍🌍🌍🌍 Playlist submission: Koweit, Rive Gauche.
Opening track - Sounds like it could be the opening music of the Congolese version of Encanto At 5.45 I checked to see if it was still track 1 as my Papa is 80 and I’d like to see him again at least once but Koffi seems to have other ideas Track 2 - Generic late 80s love song intro morphs into a modern church music vibe (one of the newer ones which leave you disappointed you’re not singing an assembly banger) don’t mind it. Found myself adding my own lyrics. Repeatedly singing Jump and Wave worked a treat. Track 3 - google translate says it means Kuwait left bank. Sorry Koffi but I’ve not the time nor the inclination to find out more Lasted 4 mins before skipping which is a lot less than Koffi lasts as he sounds like an absolute destroyer of poon Track 4 - Whoever seeks finds 4 tracks in and as Bono said I still haven’t found what I’m looking for. 4mins 50seconds and Jump and Wave has made a comeback Track 5 - 1min 45 I’d love to know what Koffi is laughing at. Seeing as the opening words are “my love” I bet it’s something filth. Track 6 - Wallet. I hope the extra Spotify revenue helps to fill Koffi’s wallet. Jump and Wave is back Track 7 - Fairy tale imagining the bass player in the studio getting fed up with Koffi’s swordsman antics. FFS Koffi can we just get though this Track 8 - Thanks I’m sure quite a few people will be saying thanks at this point if you enjoyed the other tracks. It’s a very Cantina bar band “Play the same song” kind of album Track 9 - 1.42 checked to make sure this wasn’t track 1 again and Spotify is on repeat. No it isn’t it’s still track 9 Cheers Koffi you’ve passed an hour
Songs i know: haha Songs 8 like: haha Koffi has been playing 4d chess with us all along, creating this app just to slowly feed us his weird French 80s disco pop. Every song on this album is a preset track from one of those old casio keyboards they had in school.
Sounds like the main song to every 90’s Disney film. Not sure if that’s a good thing or a bad thing. Gets the hips shaking - wish there was a video of a mate of mine dancing to it in a slightly questionable way. It’s not really my cup of tea, especially not on a cold November morning, but I could see this working at a summer get together, or sitting off on a balcony on holiday while nursing a can and waiting for the missus to get her fucking shit together she’s been in there for like 2 hours now and I’m starving but you can’t say owt or it’ll turn into a right kick off and spoil the evening and potentially spill over into the next day and you end up swimming on your bill all day all passively aggressively. Found this a bit of a slog and the beats sound like Casio keyboard presets. 2/5
It's a vibe and a vibe that I enjoyed on the whole. Nice to have something different on this list. Reckon it would have sounded way better without the very dated 90s (80s in the DRC) production which makes every song sound like a scene in a now problematic Hollywood film probably starring John Candy and Arsenio Hall. Would enjoy this on West Holts in the sunshine whilst drinking away a hangover and whiteboy swaying around a bit Standouts: Hard to say haha Low Points: It's a bit samey and too long but enough about Lloydie
Upbeat. Happy. Holiday vibes if you’re British. Made me want to dance like Paul Pogba.
Didn’t listen to it all, but given he’s arranged this whole operation I’ll give him 5 stars. Keep up the great work KO
Meh. Sounds like he's not a particularly admirable person. If I try to ignore the person behind the music, it's fine. It's the kind of thing I'd expect from Congolese music, for the most part. Desespoir sounds oddly like an 80's ballad. And it's odd to see Koffi dressed like MC Hammer on the cover.
Was going to give 3 stars, and blame language barrier and dated production for it not being higher. But, knocking an additional star because Koffi sounds like a garbage fire of a person, if Wikipedia is accurate.
It's wild to recognize super dated sounds and effects in genres that are still utterly different from what I grew up with and am familiar with. & while I'm thrilled to get exposed to soukous and a Congolese artist I'd never heard of before, this ultimately sounded too dated to really enjoy - my general impression was one of cheesiness without understanding a word of the lyrics. I might give his other music a try, but he also sounds like a hot mess of a person, like the Shia Labeouf of Congolese musicians, beating up people & abusing women left & right.
Decent Caribbean sound
I've never heard of Koffi Olomide before. I often enjoy music sung in a different language. Since I don't understand what's being said I focus more on the music and melody. This stuff makes me want to be on a beach.
Not for me, but great to discover this music too!
2.5/5. Not great. I was optimistic seeing that it was not english, but was let down. It's different, but it sounds pretty dated.
What pleasant music; it's always great when this list drifts outside the anglo influence. Now to open up the artist's wikipedia page, but not before I take a big sip of hot coffee....
A little more latin sounding than I expected, but solid non-the-less. 3/5
Pretty funky. Reading his bio made me sad and unfortunately you can't unread these things. I'm glad the music brought me some joy before I read it though.
Nice, but what makes it special?
Pretty fun vibes. Had a lot of Latin feel to it.
Greit nok, men håpte da skulle vær hakket bedre
OK, not really my thing but pleasant and easy to listen to
Pleasant enough, but didn’t leave much of an impression on me.
Not bad but not that much variation and the instrumentation is veeeery repetitive . I'm guessing the focus is on the lyrics which is great… but i don't understand a word so this album flies over my head.
This is the soundtrack for every 80”s movie that has a palm tree in it
This was so fun. Groovy and beachy. Stand-out: Koweit, Rive Gauche
Overall: 2/10 I don't really connect with this, I don't think it has anything to do with it not being in english cause I listen to Rammstein lol I just found the music kind of boring and the singing wasn't good enough to elevate the material. Edit: Just read the wikipedia article about this dude and YIKES...I'm able to separate the art from the artist but it's a good thing my rating is already low Fav Song: Koweït, rive gauche Least Fav Song: Conte de fées
Not really my thing, but decent enough. I'll give it a 4 even if I'll likely never listen to it again.
I don't think that I have the knowledge of African pop music (or more specifically of Congolese Rhumba, per Wikipedia) to make any sort of informed pronouncements about its aesthetics. That said, there is plenty to like here on the most elemental level. To start with, Olomide has a beautiful voice that slyly hides an impressive range. Like much African music (particularly the music I tend to associate with Senegal), the songs coast upon bouncy and exuberant arpeggios that bed you to dance, or hop, or bob your head. After a while, the language barrier does become an issue, and a sense of monotony sets it -- a charming and fun monotony, but monotonous nonetheless, leaving you very aware that you may be missing something vital within each song's lyrics. I don't foresee myself returning to this album, but I'm glad for the chance to have heard it. 3.5/5
While I certainly appreciate the variety that this album provides to this list, it seems unremarkable on its own. Much of this is likely due to the language and lack of cultural context on my end, but still there wasn't enough there musically to compel future listening.
I officially do not enjoy this type of music unless I’m playing Mariokart. All of these songs are 3-5 minutes too long. Seems like dude’s a prick to boot.
This was decent background music, but also fairly boring and very hard to distinguish one song from the next. As ever with music that's out of my comfort zone, I'm not sure if that's a me problem or an it problem.
Absolute vibes, great energy
Found it quite interesting and pleasant to listen to at the beginning then it just got a bit samey towards the end.
This definitely wasn't unpleasant, but as an album it's a bit long and even though the songs are distinct it does start to blend.
I won't speak at length about this album because of my lack of exposure to the genre. I enjoyed it rhythmically, but felt like some songs really reflected it's 90s release date (Porte-monnaie comes to mind). Favorite song: Qui cherche trouve Least favorite: Désespoir Knew before? No
The guitar track sounds like Latin loops from a program like Garage Band. To be fair, I don't speak the language, but to me the songs sound very samey. They are upbeat in a chill way though, so OK to play in the background.
Tried, couldn't finish.
Paar echt coole nummers, maar ook veel hetzelfde.
An interesting album, I liked Désepoir the most.
Sunny 3.6
Started off enjoying this but after a couple of tracks it got quite repetitive. Not something I would have otherwise listened to so always nice to hear something in a genre not familiar to me.
Googled the artist. 1.
I felt like a lot of the songs blended together a bit because they all sounded so similar. Personal enjoyment: 2/5 Relevance to this list: 3/5
3.5
This was nice enough, but then I read his wiki page.... Yikes.
I kinda feel the same about this genre about 80's/90's music. Alot of the production shifts the original charm of the sound in more of an electronic sense but it sounds almost too electronic? It washes out alot of the genre I appreciate. But, from a critical listening perspective the album artist and genre would definitely go on to inspire early 2000's latinx pop. Daddy Yankee comes to mind.
I had never heard the album nor of the performer before. It made for a pleasant Sunday afternoon of playing backpack hero
very happy record, and i feel like i am at a beach. i dont understand the lyrics so that makes it difficult for me to really get into it, but still, i enjoyed listening to it, and saved one song. also i like hov much it makes you want to jump
Good rumba music
It's not bad per se, it's just boring to my ears. And it makes me wonder... If this is on the list, why isn't any of Amadou & Mariam's albums?
Ensi tahtien jälkeen yllätyin positiivisesti. Levy tuli lähes kokonaan kuunneltua pyöräillessä ja kieltämättä soundit kärsi aika pahasti, mutta seuraavana päivänä paremmilla kuulokkeilla pääsi kaikista soundeista perille. Yläkanttiin 3*.
Letkeä ja hyväntuulinen
Just didn’t care for it at all. It’s not music I’d ever put on and i actually couldn’t wait for it to be over
It all sounds the same to me.
African music on the soft side. Nice but it got dull after three songs.
Good exposure to music from Congo, though it all kinda had the same vibe the whole album. It was pretty good, feel good vibes
Not sure why this is on the list. Very repetitive, especially after the 4th or 5th song. Didn’t have it but not impressed.
I have been listening to this kind of music for years, it always puts me in a good mood. I didn't really know Koffi Olomide's work, but I enjoyed this album
It's a festive soundtrack for the day, but after a few songs, it began to feel repetitive at times.
Representative but not necessarily special to my ears. First half fares better. Elixir is my high point. Ultimately an album that will definitely up your spirits.
I honestly don't understand what makes this album one of only 1001 albums I must listen to. I understand it is from a different country and cultural background from mine, and that it is likely important to that culture - and I 100% respect that. However, I found it to just be fine, not as impressive even as other things I've heard from other artists doing similar music. It was smooth enough and easy enough to listen to, but I just was never really impressed or found any part of it to grab me at all. I'd probably give it 2.5 stars, but I just feel I have to round up, as it definitely wasn't bad, and I didn't hate listening to it.
Pretty listenable.
I've never listened to anything like this, so I have no idea how to even review it. All I can tell you is that I really didn't like it.
May need another couple listens to develop a strong opinion. At first pass I can say it was very pleasant.
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.
AHHHH, ÇAAA C’EST BON ÇAAA Loved the common themes/intros between the songs. That super compressed guitar sound is cool. Whoever produced this did an amazing job. So many variations on percussion. Conte de fées was my favorite cut on the album - its basically two songs. As a fairly decent French speaker, I can barely understand Congo French. This is a whole different language it feels like.
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.
it was fine, it was just a lot of a style of music i’d never choose listen to
It all sounds the same
Feels like I'm on vacation. Sadly, I'm not.
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.
It sounds like unused outtakes from a bad Disney animated movie. Have no clue why this made the list.
After about 5 minutes this faded into being something like the soundtrack to a movie I left on but got distracted and walked into another room. There was something musical happening but it may as well have been playing nearby because I no longer cared.
I guess this is technically music.
I didn't really like this. But at no point did I hate it or feel the need to turn it off or skip a song. It's way to long, it's not in a language I understand (so who knows what the message is here) and apparently the guy is not a nice guy. Probably music a movie would use as a background. And I'm not sure why it's on the list. But there are worse albums on here.
Look, let's get one thing straight: I review music, not musicians. If I wanted to just rant about how awful someone is, there's Twitter for that. I mean, consider Kanye West: these days, I hate that man with a burning passion, the divorced dad, Nazi-lovin' fuck. But despite that, I still gave MY BEAUTIFUL DARK TWISTED FANTASY a 4 because the music still resonated with me. Sometimes, bad people make good art. That's not a rule, but it **is** a common fact of life. But I don't wanna sound like I'm pro-"separate the art from the artist," because let's make this clear as well: you can't. As much as people out there would want to, I personally believe you can't fully understand an art unless you take into consideration the artist. That's why, as much as I gave MY BEAUTIFUL DARK TWISTED FANTASY a 4, I'm never gonna listen to it again, because Kanye is a fuck and I don't wanna give him my time. Like, usually it's never enough to affect my rating (unless you're Kid Rock), but if you're gonna come in here and be like, "Well, if you just look past their past transgressions," I feel like you're being disingenuous, at best. So, look, this guy's a child rapist. He was found guilty of raping a 15-year old, and that was the first thing I knew about him (because despite this album's appearance in this book it's apparently still not even notable enough in the English world to get a Wikipedia page). I could easily give this thing a 1 and move on with my life just for that alone. I don't blame others for doing that, but, myself, I just had to dig deeper and know: what's this thing actually like? Boring. This thing is fucking boring. From the first second, all I could picture in my head was commercials for cruise lines and it never let up the whole time. That's what this thing sounds like: chintzy background music for advertisements. And I don't know if that's what all rhumba music sounds like, or just what this guy sounded like by 1992, but I sorta refuse to let **him** be the representative, so... And none of these songs have enough going on to justify them being as long as they are. A 7+ minute average for track? Jeez! What gives him the right? Trust me, if you've heard the first thirty seconds, you've heard the last thirty seconds, and every random cluster of seconds in-between. Where in the world does this thing get off? Now, of course, there **are** parts I like. There hafta be; nothing's 100% bad. Even Kid Rock's stupid album had at least one or two parts I could begrudgingly say I like. But then, here's a good question: "why would I listen to **this guy** for it? Why do I **have to**, when there **has** to be someone else doing this who also **hasn't** been found guilty of any heinous acts?" Like, don't tell me there's no other album in the world that could've represented rhumba music better; I doubt **this guy** is the only one worth considering. So, like, this shit's a 1. A big, fat 1. And I don't hand those out easily, lemme tell you: you hafta **offend me** on some level to get one. Kid Rock's, well, Kid Rock. MAXINQUAYE was such an intermittently boring waste of time that I couldn't help it. And Limp Bizkit... Well, I was kind of hard on that Limp Bizkit album, but that's besides the point. If this guy had made better music, I woulda grumbled and complained about it, but I still would've given him the credit. Or, hell, if he wasn't a guilty child rapist, this thing would've been a 2, at best. But I feel no desire to give him any benefits. All I hear when I listen at this is this man's crimes. And frankly, given that I didn't know about him yesterday and I'll forget about him tomorrow, that's **all** I'll ever hear. Allow me to rate this thing accordingly, then: it's a 1. He's not worth anyone's time.
This is just so goddamn boring. I'd give it 3 for that reason alone, but considering the artist was actually found guilty of statutory rape a couple years back, it's going all the way down to 1. Fuck this guy.
It’s a fucking 1. Even without the child rape this guy was accused of in 2019, which is already going to give it a 1 regardless, this is just such a fucking boring album, my god. This is comprised of 58 FUCKING MINUTES of music that sounds like what you'd hear when they're showing b-roll footage of the zoo on a kids show. The looping instrumentals that comprise the entirety of this album are not only egregiously long and tiresome and boring, but they’re just so fucking annoying to sit through. I talked about Kraftwerk sounding like an FL Studio loop once, but this literally IS one. I would wager to bet over half (if not all) of the backing instrumentals are like, 16 bars at most, on loop. Past that, he’s somehow delusional enough to think he can carry this album with his fucking vocals, while having not an inch of charisma to actually do it and while sounding like a constipated opera singer in training. Honestly, the 58 minutes might be the worst part. By the time I got to the last track, I wrote the following down, and I think it sums up the crux of my feelings on the album: “I truly do not care about any of this album anymore. The sooner I never have to listen to it, the better; it’s not even like it’s a bad album from a musical standpoint other than the obnoxiously obvious loops, it’s just painfully, painfully boring in a way that I haven’t felt since Maxinquaye, and honestly, the egregious nature of the looping may make this one even worse. However, at least this has a more positive and beachy upbeat tone throughout the runtime, so it doesn’t get like the depressingly sad type of “please end my suffering” boring. It just gets the ‘stuck at a 3-year-old’s birthday party with none of my friends & 7 other people in their 80s’ type of “please end my suffering” boring.” Yeah, this is worse than Maxinquaye. This is the worst one we’ve gotten yet. Even if I were so kind as to give the music like, a 1.5 bumped up to a 2 because it “sounds happy,” this dude was convicted of child rape in 2019, so I just don’t even want to entertain the idea of a 2. It’s a bland, boring 1. We better fucking get Dark Side of the Moon next or something.
pretty good
Not for me
I’d rather listen to Paul Simon’s “Graceland”. This was just ok. Tough with all foreign lyrics.
Haha
this album reminds me of a particular cafe in bandon oregon along the coast. it's a small tourist haven, a carbon copy of many such towns that you can find all along northern oregon's coast. white washed timber buildings splintered from years of harsh salt in the air and water. wind cuts it's path through everything. The cafe was something you could find all over oregon back then. a funky little room in the upstairs of a building that hadn't changed in generations. bright wood making up the most of the furniture and wall trim. i remember nursing my drink--most likely a latte with whole milk--and looking at a corkboard set up along the back wall. the entirety of the corkboard was taken up with a world map made sometime between 2000 and 2011. below the map was a simple proposition written in sharpie: where are you from? put a pin! i remember spending minutes scanning the map. most points on the map made sense with plenty of pins cluttering California and the Pacific Northwest in it's entirety. most pins were placed all over the continental us. a friend of mine put their pin in their small alaskan home, adding to the collective project. there were only a few pins in alaska scattered around the massive state. it was these outliers that fascinated me. every continent had a pin it somewhere, from england to japan, to argentina to zimbabwe. it seemed hundreds of people from across the globe had wandered into the little hole in the wall in a tourist afterthought for international travel. i was struck with awe in the idea that people from such different walks of life had stood where i now was and marked their home. invisible threads spread across the earth that intersected in this homey bit of nowhere. the music of koffi olomide reminds me of that connection. i don't know this man, or can speak the language that he speaks. but in this moment as i write, stoned and feverish, i feel connected. our threads intertwined through a fan project of a book most people will never read. a pin on the spotify listener map.
1. papa - 1 2. dezepoir - 1 3. gauche - 1 4. cherche - 1 5. elizir - 0 6. porte - 1 7. conte - 0 8. obrigado - 0 9. dit - 0
This was pleasant and cool. Liked it.
I normally go 3 starts automatically for world music, seeing as though I have little to no frame of reference. This record is no different, but at times sounds like a characateur of itself
Ça a parti pas trop pire, mais vers la fin je trouvais que ça s'essoufflait beaucoup trop. Quelque chose qui joue en défaveur selon moi c'est que les pièces sont souvent beaucoup trop longue pour leur bien. Aussi semblerait que cet artiste est plutôt problématique. 5/10
I love listening to things like this on a sunny day. Perfect vibes. Great composition and instrument combinations. Highlights: Papa bonheur Élixir Obrigado
Congolese music is always evolving micro genres and trends, even if the distinctions can be pretty subtle. This is light and airy soukous, it has the verse/chorus/dance structure and the distinctive non-stop guitar arpeggio attack driving it on and a very busy percussion section, but it's slowed down a tad and much more romantic than most dancefloor pumping soukous. His voice is well suited to this, a smooth baritone that patiently delivers the lyrics with whispered glissando flair. The intro of keyboard synth sounds in this era saved band leaders the cost of a full horn section, made touring easier,.and brought in a bunch of novel sounds, but it makes everything sound so awfully smooth and incredibly cheap cheesy and dated. Its dance music that confirms to genre conventions so dancers know the moves, which gives it a somewhat, well, generic feel, especially from afar.
I didn’t know about Olomide’s statutory rape conviction while listening to this album, but even so I’m not inclined to give it an especially high score. It was fine, not exceptional.
Another that's not for me.
I may be listening to Chappell Roan too much, as I kept thinking when reading the album title "... you can take me Haut de Gamme!" Does that even make sense? I don't speak French. When I'm not thinking about modern pop stars, this music is pretty nice to listen to.
While it is very joyful and fun music….it sounds so generic to me. Like something I would hear on a cruise or at a themed restaurant.
When I say Poussez, you say poussa! Poussez! Nolan: poussa! Surprisingly good groove. Désespoir is an early favorite and hella fun song with like 3 musical twists and turns. Saved 1 song and didn’t hate the entire album and that’s all you can really ask for an album in a completely different language
just…. no
This one just really didn't do it for me. Not totally sure why but I found it quite bland.
I'm probably not the person to rate this stuff. It kind of felt generic, but I also don't speak French or have a wealth of experience with African music. Overall, it was fine. It was groovy. Felt like I was at the beach. Probably won't ever revisit.
Exuberant African music.
The album grabbed my attention at first, but then it became less and less interesting. I'll round up...
Seemed a little dated and like something you might hear at a restaurant. It's ok.
There were definitely sounds of the early 90s present here… now I know where those 7-Up commercials got their inspiration. Reading more about this guy on Wikipedia, the catchy fun darkened quite a bit. *sigh*
oh man this sample library is pretty low fidelity, which makes me think I'm in for a ride on the cheese express. the bass tone is great though. Desepoir has a pretty cool intro. There is this infectious drive to it, which is nice. oh but the CHEEEEEEESSSSSEEEE sounds. lord save us.
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.
Very groovy and very diverse. Really enjoyed it, even if it isn’t my cup of tea completely.
It's never a bad time to be exposed to more world music, and this was pretty pleasant
if you listen closely enough you can hear how pieces of this music influenced other artists from all over the globe today (of course, because of the obvious rumba influence Stromae comes to mind, but maybe I'm crazy but I can hear bits of this trickling down into amapiano too). Shame you don't have listen as hard to hear how boring the songs can get and the worst parts of 90s R&B production creeping in around the edges too.
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)
Yikes, this guy was a sexual predator? What a POS. I will rate the album, though. Had I not know about his past, I would've thought this was created by a light-hearted joyous individual because that's what I get from the album. Oof. Still, I don't think this a must listen before you die album. It's fine.
This was fine as background music. I enjoyed it. 3.5
Haut de gamme / Koweït, rive gauche is jaunty and uplifting in places but gets pretty tiring and samey pretty quickly. It doesn't need to be as long as it is either, it's a standard underwhelming 2, aside from the guy being a rapist sack of shit, but we've had our share of absolute cunts on this list already and there's always an effort to try to separate the art from the artist.
Yeah, I really struggle to get excited about this kind of music, and it's no different here. Most likely a fault with me, rather than the music, but I really struggle to differentiate between good and bad in this kind of genre. 2/5.
This was a complete discovery for me but it was a pleasant surprise. Such fresh contagious beats. You know your humble critic was dancing hella often listening to this while completing household chores. It was a lengthy album and yet I still wanted to move my body the full duration. Think about that. No matter how unique each track started, it felt like most the songs found their way to the same joyous soukous jam by the end of it, but I actually thought that was a fun connective tissue and not a demerit for the record.
No idea who this is, but I really like this album.
Pops with island vibes Carefree and energetic Sand dancing awaits
fröhlich, melodisch - gute musik um in den zu tag starten.
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.
This takes me right back to the days waiting in line on the subpar wooden stairs for that grand water slide, with island music playing over the speakers.
The only Congolese album on this list will likely elicit a smile if you've got a straw in something tropical while you listen.
Melodisch, rhythmisch, macht gute Laune
刚果怎么一股印度味
What a welcome change! Fun, energetic music to dance to - lots of shades of Graceland here reflecting the influence of African music on Paul Simon... Hope this leads me to more finds of a similar ilk. For what it's looking to achieve 3.8.
A buoyant and jubilant slice of afro pop and traditional music.
Hmmmm...
Something is off with this cat. It’s sounds like one of those compilation albums where popular songs are made squeaky clean and performed by teens. Like playing a 33 album on 45. It’s not terrible but I’m cool with never hearing it again.
Upee kansi. Hyvä rytmi läpi levyn, kantaa jopa koko tunnin! Toimi hyvin kävelymusiikkina, tunnelma piti otteessaan ja kappaleita muisti kuunnellakin, ne vaativat sitä vaikka tyylinsä mukaan olivat toisteisia. Ja pidin siitä, että tietyt elementit toistuivat biisistä toiseen (hokemat ainakin).
Levyn verrattain hidas mutta miellyttävä avautuminen enteilee hyvää käyttöarvoa. Parhaat biisit on tuntumani mukaan soviteltu alkupuoliskolle - kuinkas muuten - ja vaikka homma välillä "junnaa", yllätyksellisten käänteidenkin määrä on kunnioitettava.
I always appreciate it when the generator gives me the opportunity to hear a new genre and/or culture. That being said, this sounds like background music at a resort with some dude moaning in French over it. Best song: Désespoir
4.5, cool to hear different music I wouldn’t normally hear
Yes, an enjoyable upbeat Congolese Soukus album that is missing from my life. Just not something I feel like diving further into.
Fantastic music for a hot and sunny day, so upbeat and joyful! The genre is "soukous" apparently, and according to last.fm Koffi Olomide is one of most popular artist in that genre, so maybe this is a good pick? I really wish Dimery had spent a lot more time listening to world music to put this list together! Despite not having knowingly listened to this before, it gets a big nostalgia bump because as a young kid I had a crystal radio kit that attached to a radiator as an aerial, and one of the strongest stations it could pick up was playing world music like this. Fave track - eh, "Elixir", let's say, but the whole album is a vibe...
I have never heard music from Congo before. Good, upbeat rhythms, enjoyable fun music. Not sure I can say anything more about it, but I liked it.
Each song is an enjoyable enough 3★ but this is a case of diminishing returns with how identical all the songs are.
ganz nett aber is apparently a creep, also punkteabzug
Kinda sounds like coming 3 America, there’s better Koffi records
If you told me vampire weekend listened to this before their debut, I wouldn't be surprised
What is this. At first I thought this was going to be like a German dance pop album no one talks about. Instead it’s an album by a Congolese sex pest. The good, it’s kinda fun, kinda gross reading the comments from people who are like “teehee this is just for white people” like it seems like this is a pretty formative artist and album in the DRC. But whatever. I dunno man, it’s fine, I think I enjoyed reading about the history of Congolese music on Wikipedia more than I did listening to this album.
Haut de gamme / Koweït, rive gauche is a studio album by Koffi Olomidé, originally released in 1992. This was an interesting one. We've got our first album on this list from Congo. Based on other users' comments, it appears the artist has a sketchy past to say the least. Putting all that aside, I was disappointed by this. It sounds a bit...generic. Echoing what others have said, it sounds like what would be played at a tourist resort. I think it's the overproduction. Although this was released in 1992, there is still a lot of 80s cheese in this. The synth sounds, the drums, etc. Too slick for my taste. The guitar playing throughout was fantastic though.
Well guys, I think we've found the least deserving album of being on the list. I mean, this album doesn't even have a wikipedia article! It just links to the artist. That doesn't do this album any favors, and neither does the article itself, as all I got from it was that Koffi Olomide is a horrible person. As for the album, I don't like it. It's boring. The actual instrumental sound is fine enough, but it does nothing for me. The singing isn't really my thing. The writing means nothing to me, but that's because of the language barrier. Remember, giving an album a low score because it's a language you don't speak is not valid and also prejudiced. From the google translates, the lyrics don't mean much to me anyways. So that's not that big of an effect on the score. While I can not critique this album for being in a foreign language, I can critique it for other things like being way too long and repetitive. However, as much as I don't like this album, I can't justify giving this a one as the musical contents aren't inherently bad. I have to eliminate my bias of the low cultural impact and heinous actions of the musician, and at least give this album some credit for being well made... is what I would say if this thing AT LEAST HAD A WIKIPEDIA ARTICLE. High 1/5. I AM upset that I had to listen to this.
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
Bro, fr?
A fun and happy sounding album indeed. I enjoyed the african beats that encompasses the album but I can't help but feel a bit disappointed that there wasn't anything that might have added a bit more diversity of sounds among the production. Most of the album sounds the same even the lyrics are repeated multiple times but it was a nice listen anyway. Best - ??? Worse - nothing truly bad besides the songs sounding the same 2.75/5
Liked the past song.
An album as good as its cover.
Lasted 4 songs. Surely this isn't the best Congo has to offer. The bad MS paint job album cover, the string of controversies that litter his wiki page, the ok-ish music... Not for me.
It's fine. Just not for me. Would I listen to it again? No. That's what 2 stars will probably mean for me.
this list needs an edit
3.2 - It was okay and some nice vocals, but sometimes felt like I was listening to Mario game. Parts also felt very repetitive and didn't progress. Overall, interested in seeing if more of this style will come up but wanted more from this honestly
This was nice background music, but didn't really grab me. I felt like it was musically too major. No tracks really stood out, but I'd happily passively listen to it again. Good to see this sort of representation in any case. 3.2/5
Nope
This would be great on a Caribbean beach, on a cruise ship, with mai tai’s and Hawaiian shirts in a casual setting. I can honestly say I enjoyed it. Great singer and interesting. However, many of the songs sounded the same to me. Not going to jump on to the daily playlist, but I’m glad I listened and know if him now.
It's a low 3 star. Enjoyed the music enough but not alot
Decent i guess I won’t hate. Probably won’t ever listen again no disprespect
This sounds like the type of repetitive, same-sounding music that would be played over the PA system of a warm weather resort's lounge and gift shop for tourists.
Gar nicht meine Musik. Trotzdem: sehr besonders!
Although a bit dated, it's upbeat and fun. Infectious rhythms and good guitar sound. Enjoyed it. 3.6
It's well made, but there is little variety between songs. It's just not my cup of tea. 2/5
2.5
Not my taste as all.
This was a pretty good album; I listened to it while working and it was pleasure to listen to despite me not understanding the language. It is a good backdrop album.
No está tan mal, una que otra con buen ritmo. Pero no es lo mío
I usually like a bit of African music but this isn’t doing it for me the way other albums have. The grooves are a bit lightweight, without the punch and energy that I usually enjoy, and there’s a hint of 80s pop production running through the album that doesn’t do it any favours.
Mmm yes it chugs along pleasantly enough while working without every grabbing me, possibly because of the lyrics in French. At the edges some dated 80s synth textures, but on the whole a 3.
Ultra French Caribbean vibes