| Emotion | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1995 | |||
| Studio | Real World, Box, Wiltshire Studio Guillaume Tell, Suresnes | |||
| Length | 38:16 | |||
| Label | Real World [1] | |||
| Producer | Stephen Hague | |||
| Papa Wemba chronology | ||||
| ||||
Emotion is an album by the Congolese singer Papa Wemba, released in 1995. [2] [3] Wemba sang mostly in Lingala. [4]
The album peaked at No. 14 on Billboard's World Albums chart. [5] Wemba promoted it by touring North America. [6]
The album was produced by Stephen Hague. [7] [8] "Fa Fa Fa Fa Fa (Sad Song)", a duet with Juliet Roberts, is a cover of the Otis Redding song; Redding was Wemba's favorite singer. [9] [10] [11] Jean-Philippe Rykiel played keyboards on Emotion. [12] Wemba addresses racism on "Epelo", heartbreak on "Ah Ouais", and the dangers in the world on "Sala Keba". [13]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [14] |
| Calgary Herald | A [15] |
| Robert Christgau | A− [16] |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music |  [11] |
| Houston Press | [17] |
| MusicHound World: The Essential Album Guide | [8] |
The Guardian wrote that "Wemba's singing is high, relaxed and fine as ever, whether he's tackling a synth-backed funky dance piece, or switching to a guitar-backed ballad." [13] Robert Christgau stated: "Piercing and penetrating without a hint of muezzin, he also commands a 'natural,' 'conversational' timbre richer and rangier than that of his more soft-sung Zairean colleagues." [16]
The Toronto Star noted that "soukous purists likely won't have it... But terrific listening for everyone else." [18] The Calgary Herald determined that "the propulsive, rolling polyrythmic rhythms here owe as much to western pop as to Wemba's Zairean traditions." [15] The Houston Press concluded that "Hague insured that Wemba's vocals took center stage on each tune, turning down the driving African percussion just a notch." [17]
AllMusic wrote that, "in mixing his unique brand of African soukous with various Western influences, Papa Wemba took a bold step into the international pop market already populated by Senegalese singing sensations Youssou N'Dour and Baaba Maal." [14]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Yolele" | Lokua Kanza · Papa Wemba | 3:22 |
| 2. | "Mandola" | Jacques Rouvier · Wemba | 3:49 |
| 3. | "Show Me the Way" | Kanza · Wemba | 4:01 |
| 4. | "Fa Fa Fa Fa Fa (Sad Song)" | Otis Redding · Steve Cropper | 3:13 |
| 5. | "Rail On" | Kanza · Wemba | 2:26 |
| 6. | "Shofele" | Maika Munan · Wemba | 3:09 |
| 7. | "Image" | Christian Polloni · Wemba | 4:20 |
| 8. | "Sala Keba (Be Careful)" | Kanza · Wemba | 3:40 |
| 9. | "Awa Y' Okeyi (If You Go Away)" | Kanza · Wemba | 1:55 |
| 10. | "Epelo" | Polloni · Wemba | 4:02 |
| 11. | "Ah Ouais (Oh Yes)" | Rouvier · Wemba | 4:19 |
| Total length: | 38:16 | ||
Congolese music is one of the most influential music forms of the African continent. Since the 1930s, Congolese musicians have had a huge impact on the African musical scene and elsewhere. Many contemporary genres of music, such as Kenyan Benga and Colombian Champeta, have been heavily influenced by Congolese music. In 2021, Congolese rumba joined other living traditions such as Jamaican reggae music and Cuban rumba on UNESCO's "intangible cultural heritage of humanity" list.
Soukous is a genre of dance music originating from the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Republic of the Congo. It derived from Congolese rumba in the 1960s, with faster dance rhythms and bright, intricate guitar improvisation, and gained popularity in the 1980s in France. Although often used by journalists as a synonym for Congolese rumba, both the music and dance associated with soukous differ from more traditional rumba, especially in its higher tempo, song structures and longer dance sequences.
Jules Shungu Wembadio Pene Kikumba, known professionally as Papa Wemba, was a Congolese singer and musician who played Congolese rumba, soukous, and ndombolo. Dubbed the "King of Rumba Rock", he was one of the most popular musicians of his time in Africa and played an important role in world music. He was also a fashion icon who popularized the Sape look and style through his musical group Viva la Musica, with whom he performed on stages throughout the world.
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African popular music, like African traditional music, is vast and varied. Most contemporary genres of African popular music build on cross-pollination with Western popular music. Many genres of popular music like blues, jazz, salsa, zouk, and rumba derive to varying degrees on musical traditions from Africa, taken to the Americas by enslaved Africans. These rhythms and sounds have subsequently been adapted by newer genres like rock, and rhythm and blues. Likewise, African popular music has adopted elements, particularly the musical instruments and recording studio techniques of the Western music industry. The term does not refer to a specific style or sound but is used as a general term for African popular music.
Zaïko Langa Langa is a Congolese soukous band formed in Kinshasa, in 1969. It was established by D.V. Moanda, Henri Mongombe, Marcellin Delo and André Bita, the band evolved from the Orchestre Bel Guide National, which is seen as Zaïko's predecessor. Co-founders included Papa Wemba, Jossart N'Yoka Longo, Manuaku Waku.
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Congolese rumba, also known as African rumba, is a dance music genre originating from the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Republic of the Congo. With its rhythms, melodies, and lyrics, Congolese rumba has gained global recognition and remains an integral part of African music heritage. In December 2021, it was added to the UNESCO list of intangible cultural heritage.
Cheikh N'Digel Lô is a Senegalese musician.
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