Search - Bonga :: Angola 72

Romantic Memory

Salty Saltillo | 08/27/1998

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I first heard the song Mona Ki Ngi Xica in a cafe in Paris. It is really popular in France, and though I have no idea what the lyrics mean, the song is very moving. If anyone has any idea of the translation please let me know."

So much Soul! Bonga, where have you gone?

Salty Saltillo | from the road, USA | 07/08/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This, Bonga's first record, will knock you over with its soul, its sincerity, its musical cleverness, and its bare knuckle simplicity. Other than Angola 74, this record's sequel, I haven't heard anything like this from Bonga since then.

The method of the album is so simple: a bass player, a pair of acoustic guitar tracks, and a percussionist, mostly playing a hand drum.

It sounds like there are at least two singers on this record - Bonga and another singer (very notable on songs like "Paxi ni ngongo"). All the words of the record are, to my knowledge, in Kimbundu, the most prevalent Bantu language in Angola. I wish I know what the words mean. I am sure they are arrows that pierce the heart of things - this was a record that was so controversial that Bonga had to hide his identity when the record was launched and Portuguese authorities eventually sent him into exile for singing this record. I have been told that "Muimbo ua Sabalu" is about a loved one named Sabalu who has gone off to seek a better life on the island of Sao Tome. "Paxi ni ngongo" is a devastating song. "Bulumekeno" also is amazing. If I were a recording artist, this is the sound I would seek. What an album!"