Le Voyageur
- by Papa Wemba
- Real World Region: Africa
- Apr 1992
The high-pitched, and often melancholy, tone of Wemba's beautiful singing style is reminiscent of his traditional and rural beginnings in Kassa and of his mother, who sang traditional mourning songs for the deceased.
During the 1960s, Wemba received musical training of the highest order in Kinshasa, with legends like Tabu Ley Seigneur Rochereau and Jean Bosco Mwenda.
A younger generation of musicians, however, were intent on rebelling against the traditional rhumba style. Rhythm and blues, rock 'n' roll and soul became part of the musical vocabulary of Zaïrean youth, and Wemba was a founding member of this new wave.
This album is a synthesis of true Zaïrean feeling, with sounds and structures that are immediately accessible to the Western ear - the mark of a truly mature musician.
Reviews
'Le Voyageur provides a superior excursion into Zairean music. Wemba has taken the best of western pop techniques and plugged the music of his heritage into the electrifying pulses.'
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Jubilation
Weaving My Ancestors' Voices
