Angola’s Bonga Offers A Rolling Acoustic Semba Single
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Angolan <em>semba</em> infuses the dancey, fleet fingerwork of Congolese
guitar-playing with that soulful, sad Lusaphone tonality, a fusion of
folk music and musics from Cuba, Brazil and elsewhere. Celebrating a
50-year career as an artist, Bonga is a bit of an elder statesman of
the genre, but to hear his latest single, his husky voice has aged
beautifully. The arrangement by his longtime guitarist Betinho Feijo
positively rollicks.
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<p>From his upcoming
album, <a href="http://www.lusafrica.com/en/">out Feb. 18 on
Lusafrica</a>, hear “Ti Zuela” right here:
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<figure><iframe loading="lazy" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/fKm7erGceHI" allowfullscreen="" width="500" height="281" frameborder="0"></iframe></figure>
<p><br>
This is the second
single from the album, following 2020’s “Kudia Kuetu,” a duet
with the French singer Camélia Jordana. His last full-length came out in 2016, the soulful <em>Racados De Fora.</em></p>
