Rating: NNN
It appears that someone in the Parisian posse of Congolese crooner Lokua Kanza has been studying how the Indigo label is using technology to get rootsy. However, on Toyebi Té they overcompensate, wasting a couple of tracks on generic African village chatter and whistling desert winds, and including a puzzling Bulgarian chorus that suggests Kanza may be spending too much time with Peter Gabriel. But when Kanza’s gorgeous voice finally floats in somewhere between the Djavan and Nick Drake range with a gentle acoustic backing, it’s magic. TP
