Maika Munan: AFRICAN SWINGER

MAIKA MUNAN 
AFRICA SWINGER 

Hello everyone. This is the week of Congo Independence. I want to do a post for an artist that I enjoy so much. I am talking about Maika Munan. He is the one who has worked with many great Congolese singers like Ballou Canta, Nyboma, late Madilu, Koffi Olomide, late Papa Wemba, late Dindo Yogo, Reddy Amisi, late Pepe Kalle and many others. He made a great album in 1995 that remains a classic in my eyes. It is called Africa Swinger.

I will focus on the most important moments due to time. 

I love when he did the Boscomania because he gave hommage to a Congolese musician who was based in Kenya who was known as Jean Bosco Mwenda. I loved how he played on Masanga. It was perfect. 

African Swinger was a great song because we hear the voice of Maika Munan. He really sounded perfect. I wished Maika would sing more often because his voice is very nice to hear and he has a melody in his tone. In addition of Papa Wemba was perfect and he really sang well. His tenor just added something nice to the song. 

Bwana Mukubwa is another great song because this song is done in Swahili. This Swahili version is Shaba from Katanga. Maika Munan is actually from Katanga. He is cousin or uncle of Barbara Kanam who would work with Papa Wemba on Wemba's last album Maitre d'Ecole. I think Barbara Kanam sings in this song but I am not sure. I will have to ask to make sure. Regardless, Maika sounds perfect with singing. You see good harmony from the singers. 

Lingo x 2 is a classic without doubt. This was a Viva La Musica singing sounding song. This was a semi-reunion with addition of Abby Suriya. It had Reddy Amisi, Dindo Yogo and of course late great legend le nkuru Papa Wemba. Papa Wemba just shined throughout the song. It was powerful and great. 

Comes Makaramba which has Papa Wemba's one time songwriter Koffi Olomide Mopao with Carlyto, Abby Suriya, Faya Tess and Tshala Muana. It was a star studded song. They used the animation from Papa Plus which made the song much greater. I really enjoy this song a lot. 

But the best part was the song Rosina. In that song, it was a love song but one thing that stood out was the memory of Grand Kalle. Maika Munan really sounded close to Grand Kalle in many aspects. The emotional wave reminded of how Grand Kalle used to sing in a regular basis. I am impressed and I think this song needs to be remixed so many times. I think the female partner with Maika is Barbara Kanam but I am not sure. I think that Barbara Kanam should sing this with Meje30. I think they would harmonize perfectly in this great song that Maika made.