If you have to pick "the classic" Sam Mangwana album, this would be it. He worked with both Franco and Rochereau, so he had the pedigree by the '70s to do whatever he wanted. Mangwana's earthy, rumba-heavy protosoukous is ... more »a pleasure to listen to. Each guitar line from Syan M'Benza or Sammy Massamba seems to go on forever, as Mangwana croons (and croon is really the right word) about love and life and girls, girls, girls and the band spurs him on with sinuous and sultry (never either lewd or cute) rhythms. These 1979 tracks are a pan-African textbook, with hints of folk and pop from Angola, Cameroon, and Zimbabwe always bubbling just under the surface. It is the perfect Mangwana album. Plus, the CD includes both the full Maria Tebbo plus another set of tracks from the "almost as good" Waka Waka from 1978. --Louis Gibson« less
If you have to pick "the classic" Sam Mangwana album, this would be it. He worked with both Franco and Rochereau, so he had the pedigree by the '70s to do whatever he wanted. Mangwana's earthy, rumba-heavy protosoukous is a pleasure to listen to. Each guitar line from Syan M'Benza or Sammy Massamba seems to go on forever, as Mangwana croons (and croon is really the right word) about love and life and girls, girls, girls and the band spurs him on with sinuous and sultry (never either lewd or cute) rhythms. These 1979 tracks are a pan-African textbook, with hints of folk and pop from Angola, Cameroon, and Zimbabwe always bubbling just under the surface. It is the perfect Mangwana album. Plus, the CD includes both the full Maria Tebbo plus another set of tracks from the "almost as good" Waka Waka from 1978. --Louis Gibson
CD Reviews
Best Sam Mangwana I've Heard and One of the Best Rumba CDs!
Lynn D. Larrow | Lafayette, CA USA | 04/03/2002
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I really love African rumba music, and this is one of the best CDs that is still in print. The CD is contains two albums recorded in the 1970's: Maria Tebbo (1979) and Waka Waka (1978). Sam Mangwana played with and became one of the masters of Rumba music with Franco and Tabu Ley. This is classic Rumba music, magically happy guitars, hopping horns and "let's dance sister" kind of music. Unless your heart is made of stone, you can't go wrong."
Timeless African Gem
Matthew Watters | Kell's Restaurant & Bar, Mongouge | 09/16/1999
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This is one of those exceptional albums that stands the test of time. It is classic soul music from an era when every musician put their heart into a track. And who has a bigger heart than the master, Sam Mangwana. Each track sounds better than the last, and when the album starts with the classic Maria Tebbo, that is no mean feat. Takes you back in time to glorious nights of two decades ago..."
"one of his best work"
Matthew Watters | 05/20/1999
(5 out of 5 stars)
"It's a old record, that my parents dance to it. But never the last, the best of all time"
If you like this....
John S. Oppenheimer | 08/15/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"If you enjoy this excellent Sam Mangwana CD, I suggest you try very hard to get a copy of his Georgette Eckins CD (very rare). The African AllStars recordings are very difficult to find and deserve a thorough internet search through variouys auctions and off-market suppliers."
Es una obra maestra (A Master piece.....)
elmp | Cayey, Puerto Rico | 10/19/2000
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Sam Mangwana posee una de las mejores voces de la música popular congolesa (y eso es mucho decir porque una de las características de esa música es que tiene muchas buenas voces). Este disco compacto contiene todas las canciones de dos LP's que fueron grabados entre 1978 y 1979. Los arreglos musicales son exquisitos. Toda persona que quiera tener ejemplos de música africana con fuerte influencia caribeña debe escuchar este disco."
Track Listings (7) - Disc #1