NYOLO Sally and the Original Bands of Yaoundé
Studio Cameroon

TUGCD 1043

605633004328
Riverboat
Camerun

 

Sally Nyolo has decided to take us to her home, sit us down, and make us listen to the music that’s going on here. She set up a small studio in Yaoundé, kept her ears open for groups and singers in the town and surrounding villages, and recorded them. The resulting album is largely acoustic and charmingly intimate, as if the musicians were strumming their guitars, tapping deep forest percussion and singing whilst sitting in your own lounge.

The fast, quirky dance style we know so well from Nyolo’s solo albums is there; songs in this vein open and close Studio Cameroon and show up from time to time in between. But there are very subtle forays into highlife (‘La Vie’), rumba (‘Salaire’) and even reggae (‘Chantal’). Special mention goes to a very beautiful song, ‘Djim Miadjé’, sung to sparse percussion and a few guitar chords by Gisèle Mvo Anji, who has reportedly already been on national television – expect to hear more from her. Sally Nyolo presents these local talents simply, as they ought to sound. We really do get a fair idea about what’s cooking in Yaoundé – it’s a very nice stew.

Bram Posthumus / Songlines # 40