Customer Reviews

Super Mama Djombo

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Highly recommended! A gorgeous, utterly alluring collection of music by one of the most influential popular bands from the tiny nation of Guinea-Bissau. Super Mama Djombo formed shortly before the nation's independence from Portugal, and their fortunes rose and fell along with that of the country's first president, Luis Cabral. Touring widely, they gained a strong loyal audience, and made it to Lisbon in 1980 for a mammoth, marathon recording session that yielded material for the five albums (and previously unreleased tracks) that contribute to this collection. What's most striking about the first songs on this disc are the glorious lead guitars, full of subtle wah-wahish reverb, and quite unlike most African electric guitar work. These songs are also quite lyrical; the slower numbers convey a haunting loneliness with a strong, sorrowful spiritual feel. On later tracks, the band eschews this guitar effect, and sound more like other bands of the era. It's all high quality stuff, though, some of the finest African pop you're likely to come across. (Note -- the band broke up in the early '80s, following a political coup that undid much of the cultural liberalism of the early independence era. Drummer Ze Manel released a solo album that was critical of the new government, and was compelled to emigrate elsewhere; the Cobiana label has also released one of his recent albums, "Maron Di Mar.")

Highly recommended! A gorgeous, utterly alluring collection of music by one of the most influential popular bands from the tiny nation of Guinea-Bissau. Super Mama Djombo formed shortly before the nation's independence from Portugal, and their fortunes rose and fell along with that of the country's first president, Luis Cabral. Touring widely, they gained a strong loyal audience, and made it to Lisbon in 1980 for a mammoth, marathon recording session that yielded material for the five albums (and previously unreleased tracks) that contribute to this collection. What's most striking about the first songs on this disc are the glorious lead guitars, full of subtle wah-wahish reverb, and quite unlike most African electric guitar work. These songs are also quite lyrical; the slower numbers convey a haunting loneliness with a strong, sorrowful spiritual feel. On later tracks, the band eschews this guitar effect, and sound more like other bands of the era. It's all high quality stuff, though, some of the finest African pop you're likely to come across. (Note -- the band broke up in the early '80s, following a political coup that undid much of the cultural liberalism of the early independence era. Drummer Ze Manel released a solo album that was critical of the new government, and was compelled to emigrate elsewhere; the Cobiana label has also released one of his recent albums, "Maron Di Mar.")