If you like vintage Bobby McFerrin, where he layered his voice, sang lovely melodies, and offered a gentle vibe that seemed to delve into both world music and jazz, then this collaboration between Cameroonian Richard Bona (who plays most of the instruments), Lokua Kanza from the Congo, and Gerald Toto -- all accomplished artists in their own right -- is for you.
While there's an occasional African sensibility to the music, as on "Flutes," it's toned down to offer a kind of global experience that can't be pinpointed to any one place.
That they're all excellent singers is immediately apparent (listen to the harmonies on "Na Ye" as an example), and the understated arrangements are there to support the vocals rather than stand alone.
They give a relaxed blues-lite touch to "Help Me" and sound soulful, but ultimately there's very little that sticks in the memory once the record's finished.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ghana Blues | Richard Bona, Lokua Kanza, Gerald Toto | Play | 03:03 | 7 MB | 18 MB |
| 2 | Kwalelo | Richard Bona, Lokua Kanza, Gerald Toto | Play | 04:14 | 9 MB | 26 MB |
| 3 | Lamuka | Richard Bona, Lokua Kanza, Gerald Toto | Play | 02:44 | 6 MB | 14 MB |
| 4 | L' EndormieGerald Toto | Richard Bona, Lokua Kanza, Gerald Toto | Play | 02:36 | 5 MB | 12 MB |
| 5 | FlutesGerald Toto | Richard Bona, Lokua Kanza, Gerald Toto | Play | 02:52 | 6 MB | 17 MB |
| 6 | The Front | Richard Bona, Lokua Kanza, Gerald Toto | Play | 00:21 | 0 MB | 1 MB |
| 7 | Nayé | Richard Bona, Lokua Kanza, Gerald Toto | Play | 03:35 | 8 MB | 20 MB |
| 8 | Help MeGerald Toto | Richard Bona, Lokua Kanza, Gerald Toto | Play | 03:28 | 7 MB | 17 MB |
| 9 | Stesuff | Richard Bona, Lokua Kanza, Gerald Toto | Play | 01:18 | 2 MB | 3 MB |
| 10 | Where I Came FromGerald Toto | Richard Bona, Lokua Kanza, Gerald Toto | Play | 03:31 | 8 MB | 18 MB |
| 11 | Seven Beats | Richard Bona, Lokua Kanza, Gerald Toto | Play | 01:42 | 3 MB | 9 MB |
| 12 | Lisanga | Richard Bona, Lokua Kanza, Gerald Toto | Play | 06:48 | 15 MB | 32 MB |
| 36 mins | 83 MB | |||||
| 36 mins | 192 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arnaud Bascunana | Engineer |
| 2 | Laurent Bizot | Executive Producer |
| 3 | Richard Bona | Bass, Bouzouki, Choir/Chorus, Guitar (Acoustic), Keyboards, Lead, Percussion, Primary Artist, Vocals, Vocals (Background) |
| 4 | Vincent Bruley | Tape Transfer |
| 5 | Lukas "Blasty" Chauvière | Engineer, Mixing |
| 6 | Martin Davies | Translation |
| 7 | Lokua Kanza | Choir/Chorus, Guitar (Acoustic), Lead, Piano, Primary Artist, Vocals, Vocals (Background) |
| 8 | Lionel Nicod | Mastering |
| 9 | Stéphane Ollivier | Liner Notes |
| 10 | Gerald Toto | Choir/Chorus, Composer, Guitar (Acoustic), Lead, Primary Artist, Snaps, Vocals (Background), Whistle (Human) |
| 11 | Jérôme Witz | Illustrations |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |
| CD Quality | FLAC | 16bit 44.1kHz | FLAC is an audio coding format which uses lossless compression. Digital audio in FLAC format has a smaller size and retains the same quality of the original Compact Disc (CD). |