Search - Akendengue :: Maladalite

In stark contrast to his epic Lambarena, Maladalite offers a set of smaller songs, each with a strong acoustic instrumentation, each a separate entity of musical strength. Akendengue works again with French production expert Pierre de Courson, and his high but gritty voice dominates the show, backed by spare arrangements of acoustic guitar (when not played by Akendengue himself we are treated to soukous guitarist Maika Munan), flute or balafon, a string quartet or a bevy of voices. Akendengue's genius is in how he can skirt the borders of classical, folk, and pop music without ever actually mimicking any one of them. He is an extraordinary composer, whether it is on the grand canvas of an orchestra or the small ensemble work that is the core of Maladalite. --Louis Gibson