Dream Duet: Barbara Kanam and Cindy Le Coeur

 

This is women's history month and I want to focus on Congolese women singers that they have yet to sing together or the ones that should have sung together. I got two Congolese ladies that I selected for you guys for today. 

Cette chanteuse est l'auteure de la chanson "Jardin d'amour" et une autre chanteuse qui est la chanteuse préférée du chanteur Koffi Olomide. Koffi Olomide est le patron du Quartier Latin. Cette chanteuse est une relative du grand musicien Maika Munan qui est connu pour ses travaux avec les musiciens comme Koffi Olomide, Papa Wemba, Madilu, Pepe Kalle et notamment Tabu Ley. Cette chanteuse était dans un orchestre avec la chanteuse religieuse Meje-30. Qui sont les chanteuses que je parle de? 

They are Barbara Kanam and Cindy le Coeur or some say Cyndy le Coeur. Technically the same in my view anyway. Why did I select these two as a dream duo. 

Because they are both are effective as romantic fanatics. Also, they have soft voices which I know pleases some folks who prefer softer voices. However there is a nice difference between Barbara Kanam and Cindy le Coeur. Cindy's soft voice is very feminine and pretty high while Barbara's voice is much more masculine and in the middle range in the female standard. In other words, not low enough or high enough. That is exactly why these two women must sing together. If Koffi Olomide wanted more money, he should encourage Cindy and Barbara to do a few duet songs together so he can get be involved in the guitar and musical production side. Koffi is good at playing the guitar if some don't know. 

I found five Koffi Olomide songs that Barbara Kanam and Cindy Le Coeur should sing together. Koffi Olomide would only play guitar in these scenarios. 

1) Diabolos (2008) 

2) Drapeau Blanc (2003) 

3) Micko (1997) 

4) Lovemycine (2008)

5) Classe Tendresse (1993) 

These five songs would have been perfect especially the last one. I am speaking to the song Classe Tendresse. This song would be perfect for these two women to make beautiful harmony and the lead vocals to be equal between Barbara and Cindy. This song would fit their soft voices well in my humble opinion. Then add to Koffi Olomide's guitar in it, it would be a song in the standard of MOPAO. 

Koffi fans should encourage him to arrange a duet between Cindy Le Coeur and Barbara Kanam. Agree or disagree?

First edition of Congolese Women special of Dream Duets. 

Dream Quartet: Abby Surya, Barbara Kanam, Faya Tess, Mbilia Bel

 

 

One Congolese post of the great female Congolese singers. I am very honored to do this. I got four great Congolese female singers that are alive for everyone's joy. 

I am speaking of Abby Surya, Barbara Kanam, Faya Tess and Mbilia Bel. These women are great singers in their own right. Abby, Faya and Mbilia have sung together in the past but they have yet to sing with Barbara Kanam. 

For those who may not know about Barbara Kanam, she has a family connection to Maika Munan. It is said that they are cousins. Maika Munan is one of the best guitarists to ever to live in DRC. He used to collaborate with the likes of Faya Tess and Abby Suriya. 

Speaking of Maika Munan, he should be the producer and front man of this great project if these four women ever sing together on stage or record. He can play his acoustic or electric guitar while these four women give beautiful melodies as well as solo vocals that they are able to give. 

Faya Tess is a more relaxed singer with a nice vibrato on it. Mbilia Bel is very soft but is able to give her own twist with her soft voice. Abby Suriya has a strong feminine voice with a delicious vibrato. Barbara Kanam has a masculine twist in her voice but yet it is soft at the same time with a sexy vibrato that I always want to hear in my ears. If I could a duo response like Franco did back in the late 1960s occasionally, I would pair Abby and Faya to respond to Barbara and Mbilia. That would be one good way of doing a quartet. Duo and duo part in one song if there is another option of harmony. 

There are many songs that would fit their voices but there is one song that fit these four women. 

LOVANGO by Mbilia Bel 

Lovango would allow Mbilia Bel sing lead as well as Abby Suriya with choirs of Barbara Kanam, Faya Tess and Mbilia Bel. It would make the song much better with Maika Munan playing solo and rhythm guitar. 

I hope these ladies will do a show or a collaboration record for the fans who love female Congolese singers. 

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. 

Dream Trio: Abby Surya, Koffi Olomide, Youlou Mabiala

I just got the album of Maika Munan's album African Swinger. I have listened to the whole album and I actually loved it a lot. 

There is one particular song that I love dearly. That is Makaramba which had Abby Suriya, Tshala Muana (in the animations), Koffi Olomide and Carlyto Lassa.

But I feel the song would have been better if it had one person instead of Carlyto. I mean Carlyto is great but one person would have made it more perfect. 

I mean Youlou Mabiala which goes into this post. 

Abby Suriya, Koffi Olomide and Youlou Mabiala. 

These three people would have been perfect into the song Makaramba of Maika Munan. 

I know that Abby Suriya would have been perfect together with her vocals while you would have had a more fire into song with vocals of Koffi and Youlou. Youlou would have made Koffi work a little harder with his vocals. But the animations would have been with Tshala Muana and Carlyto of course. 

That is how I would have wanted the Makaramba to be arranged. 

Imagine a trio of vocals from Abby Suriya, Koffi Olomide and Youlou Mabiala with animations of Carlyto and Tshala Muana.