Keep on Moving

Angelique Kidjo needs no introduction: she has sold millions of albums, and her musical influences span entire generations and diverse musical genres. She's touched on many contemporary sounds. Her music has been classified under categories including afro-funk, reggae, samba, salsa, gospel, jazz, Zairean rumba, souk and makossa.

Kidjo belongs in the top rung of world music's respected artists. Born in Benin, West Africa, but based in Paris, she sings in Fon, Yoruba and English. The fact that her influences are countless perhaps best explains why she has touched on so much. She lists as favourite artists, amongst others, Miriam Makeba, James Brown, Fela Kuti, The Beatles and Aretha Franklin.

The 17 songs on this greatest hits CD are culled from five of her albums (there is also one previously unreleased track).

Opening with the George and Ira Gershwin "Summertime", the CD also includes the traditional Tanzanian Chant "Malaika". But it is for "Agolo" (song three) that Kidjo is most known. One would say the compilation is an honest summary of her career so far.

Apart from her cover of "Summertime", Kidjo also does Hendrix's "Voodoo Child (Slight Return)", in her own way, treating the song from the perspective of her afro-funk mannerism. It is spattered over with African diva harmonies and for a moment, Hendrix comes back to life in a way that challenges our assumptions of how songs by the late great rock god should be covered. If Shakespeare has been adapted for different cultures, so can Hendrix. He can be Africanised too and Kidjo not only does that but succeeds!

The ballad "Fifa" from the specially produced album of the same name appears at number five. The song uses Benin traditional grooves and motifs and despite Western instruments, retains a near-aunthentic African sound, good enough to make it a reference for researchers into African sounds.

Other well-known songs are "Wombo Lombo", "Adouma", which is a mélange of Afro-funk and phat beats and the vocal harmony-drenched "Idjè Idjè", produced and mixed by Will Mowat.

The album features master guitarist Carlos Santana on "Naïma", where the Mexican-born axe grinder lifts the atmosphere a considerable notches. In another collaboration, Kelly Price is featured on "Open Your Eyes".

Angelique Kidjo is the Whitney Houston of Africa. If the latter at one time served as a symbol of American patriotism, the latter is the ideal candidate for purposes of arousing Africa's conscience in times of endless crises. Not only because of her ever spreading fame; because the music that brought that fame is equally great.