C'est la Vie
Buda Musique 92688-2, 1997
Don't mistake Dikongué's music for the Afro Beat sounds of makossa, the national pop music of his home, Cameroon. He holds a musical ethic much closer to Pierre Akendengue or Francis Bebey--one where poetry and mood prevail over groove and danceability. This guitarist has integrated not only the Afro-Parisian sound, but allows Latin, Caribbean, and other regions of Africa to flow naturally into his compositions and playing style. It all seems effortless, almost breezy, but there is an underlying poetic complexity that makes the music almost impossible to ignore. Even the "dance tracks" have a suave sophistication and worldliness, a loveliness that is almost unknown to most fans of "African" music. The songs here modulate between simple solo guitar and voice ballads to fuller bands with violin, kit drums, and bass, occasionally allowing even some brass to insinuate itself into the mix. There are one or two saccharine moments, but the intrusion is
minimal. Dikongué's sweet, quavering voice and direct acoustic guitar are always front and center, delivering the goods direct to the heart first, and the feet after. --Louis Gibson
C'est La Vie, [Dikongue's] first American release, reveals an unusual mixture of [James] Taylor's gentle introspection and [Gilberto] Gil's thoughtful writing. It is music that, in addition to its appealing acoustic qualities, takes decidedly assertive points of view via lyrics and attitude, and it represents an important new shift in African pop.
One can best appreciate the universality of music when listening to artists who sing in a language that one does not understand. One can focus on the sensuality of the voice as another instrument in the arrangement, and bask in the enveloping images. Rarely have I heard a recording that makes this more possible than "C'est La Vie". Dikongue has produced a work of brash introspection and curiously raw sophistication, meticulous simplicity and placid bounciness, if any of this makes sense. It doesn't so much make me dance as sway and just generally groove. The songwriting, melodies, arrangements and production are all far superior to and intimate than his other currently available works. With an understanding that this CD is a consistent effort with no weak links, the strongest cuts are "Ndol'asu" with its swinging rhythms and violins, "Na Tem Ite Idiba", the memorable melody and group vocals of "Na Teleye Owa Ngea", the soaring "We Nde Mba", and
"Francoise". If you like world music but would prefer a sample that accentuates the internal beat of the soul while still swinging, "C'est La Vie" is worth many listens.
01. Ndutu
02. Ndol'asu
03. C'est la Vie
04. Na Tem Ité Idiba
05. Na Teleye Owa Ngea
06. We Nde Mba
07. Bulu Bo Windi Tenge
08. Francoise
09. A Mumi
10. Wen Te Mba Wenge
11. Doula
320 kbps including full scans
Part 1
Part 2
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