Album review

Lionel Loueke

Mwaliko

Paris 

05/04/2010 - 

Mwaliko is the new album from Benin native Lionel Loueke. On this latest release, the singer/guitarist’s talents stretch well beyond the jazz stylings he is known for.

"Mwaliko" means "invitation" in Swahili. The word neatly sums up the modus operandi of Lionel Loueke on his second album for Blue Note, following on from 2007’s Karibu, on which he invited two icons to work with him, Herbie Hancock and Wayne Shorter.

This time around the guitarist, who first came to notice with his amazing solo debut In A Trance, performs with Angélique Kidjo, Marcus Gilmore, Esperanza Spalding and Richard Bona. The album kicks off with a superb cover of the classic Ami Oh, which is given a whole new spin thanks to Lionel’s vocal percussion and light phrasings. The singer on this track is Angélique Kidjo, with whom Lionel recently worked on her new album Õÿö.

Lionel’s magisterial reworking of the old standard Nefertiti features the playing of the young, gifted drummer Marcus Gilmore, grandson of the great Roy Haynes. It’s the instrumental highpoint of this album.

The hazy voice of bass player and singer Esperanza Spalding can be heard on Twins. It’s a song Lionel often performs with his regular trio, which includes Ferenc Nemeth and Massimo Biolcati, who also play on three tracks here.

And finally Richard Bona – whose career path from Africa to Paris and New York is not unlike Loueke’s – plays and sings on two tracks. There is Wishes, specially written for the two (bass, guitar and two voices), and also the album’s beautiful closer Hide Life, whose delicate harmonies will no doubt soundtrack many romantic dances!

Lionel Loueke Mwaliko (Blue Note/EMI) 2010

Jacques  Denis

Translation : Hugo  Wilcken