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2CD
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STCD 3019-20CD
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2004 release. In the 20 years that these two discs span, 1977-1997, Papa Wemba rose from a cult following in Zaire (Congo) to global stardom. Mwana Molokai is a collection of Wemba's most outstanding recordings, featuring tracks that were never previously available on CD or outside Africa, including several rare singles. In addition to duets with Pépé Kallé, Wendo Kolosoy, and Koffi Olomidé, the album showcases Wemba's celebrated band Viva La Musica. With Papa Wemba's death in 2016 at the age of 66 after collapsing on stage during a concert in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, this compilation is the best retrospective of the trendsetting soukous songwriter, singer, and bandleader.
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CD
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STCD 1026CD
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1989 release. Almost two decades into a career that had brought him super-stardom in Zaire, Papa Wemba made his international debut. He worked with the French producer Martin Meissonnier, who had helmed King Sunny Adé's first international releases with great success. Meissonnier put both African artists and their bands in first-class European studios, convinced them to tighten up their long songs, and filled out their sound with discreet synthesizers, but otherwise let them do what they knew best. In Papa Wemba's case, that was soukous with high-energy beats, hypnotic guitars and, of course, his distinctive tenor voice. With this album's release in 1989, Papa Wemba embarked on tours of Europe, North America, and Japan that made him one of the top stars of the new "world music" craze. He was soon signed by Warner Bros., but that would not have happened without this now-classic Sterns album.
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