Lapiro de M'banga is a very well-known Cameroonian artist who produced some of the best Makossa in the 1990's. Makossa experienced some doldrums after its heyday in the 1980s. It became somewhat formulaic and lost much of its energy and originality. However,
Lapiro de M'banga is one of the more creative Cameroonian Makossa makers on the scene. His high-energy Makossa tracks move relentlessly at a stomping tempo. The slower, melodic tracks are polyrhythmic and dense with percussion. He writes songs that are filled with humor and uses vernacular idioms from his native Cameroon. Up to this point, he has recorded six albums, including a collaboration with
Jimmy Cliff. For this album, he has combined musicians from Africa and the keyboard player from Kassav, Jean-Claude Naimro. High-definition, high-energy Makossa melded with intriguing slower rhythmic tracks keep this album interesting and cooking. Recommended. ~ Mark Romano