Angélique Kidjo
EVE

Angélique Kidjo is one of the most known and celebrated African singers internationally, probably the most famous ever after the passing of Miriam Makeba; she has been on the scene for more than twenty years, with a very extensive discography and also a multitude of collaborations with various Western celebrities, something that for many can be an added plus and a certification of quality, but which, in all honesty, doesn't attract me at all, quite the contrary. I approached this artist and her music to discover a bit of genuine pop made in Africa; hearing covers of the Rolling Stones, seeing a Joss Stone here or, even worse, a Bono there is something I absolutely didn't and don't need, and fortunately, the latest album by the Beninese artist is just what I was looking for.

As can easily be guessed from the title and the ever-present female choirs that accompany the singer throughout the work, "EVE" aims to be a tribute to the women of the Dark Continent and, above all, it is a "pure" album: collaborations almost solely on an instrumental level, lyrics in indigenous languages, sounds, and atmospheres surely appealing and easily assimilable even for the less trained Western palates but which have their roots in the popular tradition of sub-Saharan Africa. A truly beautiful album, made even more fascinating and engaging by Angélique's voice; a great voice, wonderfully used, with that decisive, clear, no-frills intonation. A powerful, almost declamatory singing style that perfectly matches the feelings expressed by the music: color, energy, dynamism, joy of life. The joy radiating from tracks like "Bomba" and especially "Kulumbu", featuring the famous New Orleans pianist Dr. John, is something absolutely contagious, explosive rhythms, with attention to sounds and arrangements that fully highlight the potential of these simple and popular melodies. Melodies in many cases with a funky flavor, like in "Shango Wa" with its spectacular galloping rhythm, showcasing great bass work, very incisive and present also in episodes like "Orisha", "Hello", and "Ebile", where it accompanies a chirping violin on a lively and highly rhythmic melody.

"Eva", partially sung in English, shows more calm and reflective sounds, close to soul, with a more elegant and classically radio-friendly singing approach, a good song and promotional single, but the most suggestive and significant atmospheric moments are to be sought elsewhere, for example in the sunny and relaxed reggae rhythms of a beautiful "Kamoushu", enriched by the continuous intertwining between Angélique's strong and decisive voice and the lighter ones of the backing singers, in "Blewu", where percussion and backing vocals fall silent leaving space for the main voice alone, accompanied only by an acoustic guitar in a melody with melancholic and twilight tones, and especially in "Bana", a rare pure and sweet Congolese folk song, characterized by the presence of Yvonne Kidjo, the mother of our Angélique, in my opinion the most important featuring not only of the album but of the singer's entire career.

A sincere tribute to her origins, a product of globalization, and certainly a perfect "world music" album with pop sensitivity and international breadth, "EVE" by Angélique Kidjo has nonetheless left me with excellent feelings, wonderful voice, crystalline talent, and captivating sounds, with at least four/five memorable episodes and a general impression of color, energy, but also pride and a touch of majesty, just as Joan Baez was a flag bearer and an ambassador in the world of North/Central American folk music, today Angélique Kidjo plays a practically analogous role for what her origins and background are, the difference lies solely in the fact that, unfortunately, Africa is at the margins of the world in the attention of the media, and consequently also in the consideration of Western listeners. It's a pity, because the work of this great performer would deserve equal dignity and consideration with her colleagues from the first world, and not certainly for having collaborated with this or that person.