There's very little I can confidently say about the background of this record. I'm guessing by the production qualities that it was produced some time in the 1980s, but with African records, sometimes it is very hard to tell for certain. I am not even entirely positive where the artist - Lady Isa - comes from, though seeing that the record was produced in France, the lyrics are mostly in Swahili, and the music is mostly Central African Rumba, or Soukous, I can probably narrow her origin down to The Democratic Republic of Congo. Still, without a website, Wiki, or Discogs out there on her, it's just a guess on my part.
Nonetheless, it's the music that really counts, and to that extent, this record is a real gem. The songs are atmospheric, yet dance-able. Poppy, yet traditional. Completely happy, yet not manic. The rich, bright textures of the music seem to emanate a warm glow, and it certainly makes me feel at a blissful peace when I listen to it. Also, on a side note: the bass and guitar solos are credited to a guy named Rigo Star, and if you share my taste for the absurd, that might be enough on its own to pique your interest.
I picked this one up at "The Thing" in Brooklyn, which is basically the world's biggest dollar bin. I could settle down and live in that shop if it wasn't for the inescapable smells of mildew and cat pee that go along with storing thousands of donated records.
I have got this record and listen to it very often. It is indeed a real gem.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, it is for sale on the same website as I bought mine:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.cdandlp.com/item/2/0-181002-0-1-0/115310918/lady-isa-kuteleza-si-kwanguka.html
First heard a song from this (Tama-Iliwuwa Fisi) on Spencer Clark's Pacific City Sound Visions radio back in 2009 - the very next night I heard it in a dream - finally made the effort to track it down today. Thankyou for posting it.
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