Toto Bona Lokua

Amazon.com
Every once in a while an album just stops you in your tracks. Typically it comes at you from left field, bowling you over with its imaginative artistry and beauty. Such is the case with this unprecedented collaboration between Cameroon's Richard Bona, Congo's Lokua Kanza and Paris-born Gerald Toto, whose parents are Caribbean. This surprising collaboration (which sounds little like their solo work) strips songs down to a bare minimum, with the three singers alternately singing lyrics, melody lines, harmonies, and even staccato rhythms. Conventional guitar, percussion, and other instruments occasionally provide spare backing (such as on Bona's "Kwalelo" and "Ghana Blues"), but the meat of this album is always in those voices. Melding their instruments into soulful but haunting vocal calliopes, the group singing illustrates the entire range of the African Diaspora Toto's "L'endormie" sounds like a cross between atmospheric electro-rockers TV On The Radio and delta blues legend Robert Johnson while his "Help Me" is stripped down soul. Undoubtedly one of the top albums of 2005. --Tad Hendrickson

Toto Bona Lokua,Lokua Kanza,Richard Bona,Gerald Toto,Sunny Side,Contemporary Jazz,Int'l & World Music,International,Pop,World Fusion

Average customer rating:

the cat's meow - but in a bad way

three voices

awesome blend of macferrin and other influences

This is a masterpiece

Toto Bona Lokua

Toto Bona Lokua
Lokua Kanza , Richard Bona , and Gerald Toto
Manufacturer: Sunny Side
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | International | Styles | Music
General | Jazz | Styles | Music
Jazz Fusion | Jazz | Styles | Music
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ASIN: B0009Y2708
Release Date: 2005-07-19

Tracks:

Ghana Blues
Kwalelo
Lamuka
L'Endormie
Flutes
The Front
Na Ye
Help Me
Stesuff
Where I Came From
Seven Beats
Lisanga

Amazon.com

Every once in a while an album just stops you in your tracks. Typically it comes at you from left field, bowling you over with its imaginative artistry and beauty. Such is the case with this unprecedented collaboration between Cameroon's Richard Bona, Congo's Lokua Kanza and Paris-born Gerald Toto, whose parents are Caribbean. This surprising collaboration (which sounds little like their solo work) strips songs down to a bare minimum, with the three singers alternately singing lyrics, melody lines, harmonies, and even staccato rhythms. Conventional guitar, percussion, and other instruments occasionally provide spare backing (such as on Bona's "Kwalelo" and "Ghana Blues"), but the meat of this album is always in those voices. Melding their instruments into soulful but haunting vocal calliopes, the group singing illustrates the entire range of the African Diaspora Toto's "L'endormie" sounds like a cross between atmospheric electro-rockers TV On The Radio and delta blues legend Robert Johnson while his "Help Me" is stripped down soul. Undoubtedly one of the top albums of 2005. --Tad Hendrickson

Customer Reviews:

the cat's meow - but in a bad way.......2007-08-02

I really like all three artists who contributed to this album and have many of their other albums. I know my African music, traditional and contemporary. And I'm into jazz. So I was excited to find this one but after listening to it a couple of times, I am starting to believe that my cat was singing background vocals. Ow, my ears! I can't even quite put my finger on it why. I WANTED to like this album so bad but I just really don't find anything appealing about it. I was looking hard for things to love about it. But I can't. Ah well, there will be takers. I'm just not one of them.

three voices.......2007-03-24

Three fine musicians, a celebration of the human voice, and of spontaneity. Some of the songs are idiosyncratic and of the moment, while others will stick with you.

awesome blend of macferrin and other influences.......2006-12-13

Probably my second best purchase of the year, or tied for first. It is amazing how unknown albums like this slip through the cracks when so much "famous" commercial junk gets sold in the millions. These musicians are smart, and have managed to put together an album where every song is interesting if not fantastic.

This is a masterpiece.......2006-10-01

I'm a Richard Bona fan but new to Gerald Toto and Lokua Kanza. I know about the producer Daniel Richard who is also the CEO/President of Universal Jazz France. Daniel is responsible for signing Richard, Salif Keita, Meshell Ndegeocello. My girl and I listen to this and bug out. These are 3 musical friends who did their 4 songs at home and traded files. It sounds like one project and a lot of fun. You can tell they are inspired and respectful of each other. Buy this and tell a friend.

Toto Bona Lokua.......2006-07-16

I am not a musical genious nor a writer of reviews, only a lover of world music. But on this CD I had to put in my two cents: Get it. Now. It has risen to the top of my favorites list. I agree with other reviews (and grieve!) that it is too short, and am broken hearted that there will probably never be a chance to catch these three artists performing this material together on one stage. Don't let that stop you from adding this masterpiece to your collection.

Average customer rating:

Blends African backgrounds with jazz singing
Simple, but superb!

Toto Bona Lokua
Gerald Toto , Richard Bona , and Lokua Kanza
Manufacturer: Universal
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Reggae | International | Styles | Music

General | Jazz | Styles | Music
ASIN: B0002CHOIW
Release Date: 2004-08-09

Tracks:

Ghana Blues
Kwalelo
Lamuka
L'endormie
Flutes
Front
Na Ye
Help Me
Stesuff
Where I Came From
Seven Beats
Lisanga

Customer Reviews:

Blends African backgrounds with jazz singing .......2004-08-31

It's hipster jazz - tinged a cappella blends of doo-wop meets swing: a very different experience, blending African backgrounds with jazz singing in a style Ladysmith never dreamed of.

Simple, but superb!.......2004-08-02

The twelve tracks, four written by each of the three contributors falls beyond any real category. It links something of the style of each of the countries they come from, Bona from Cameroon, Kanza from the Congo and Toto from a French West Indian background, and mixes them with an immediacy and an intimacy that comes from their pooled heritage. Recorded in home studios over two days around Christmas 2003, the voices are mixed up front with a minimum of other instrumentation,mainly acoustic guitar, bass, some piano and percussion but a wonderfully fluent and flowing set of backing vocals except on "Stesuff" where Kanza plays piano.There are songs in several languages (and mixtures of languages) but what emerges is the joy of creating something so warm and intimate. It seems pointless picking out favourite tracks, because this is an album where the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. However, if you want a flavour of just how diverse the product can be, listen to Bona's "Ghana Blues" and set it against Toto's "Help me" Having started with such an amazing set it would be pleasing to think that there would be a more 'produced' album to follow it from the three men.In the meantime this will do well an opening effort. Highly recommended for warm summer evenings, and here's to their next effort!

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