Mambo Yo Yo

Mambo Yo Yo
Studio album by
Ricardo Lemvo
Released1998
LabelPutumayo World Music[1]
ProducerNiño Jésus Pérez
Ricardo Lemvo chronology
Tata Masamba
(1996) 		Mambo Yo Yo
(1998) 		São Salvador
(1999)

Mambo Yo Yo is an album by the Congolese musician Ricardo Lemvo, released in 1998.[2][3] He is credited with his band, Makina Loca.[4] Lemvo supported the album with a North American tour that included shows as part of his label's AfroLatino Nights tour.[5][6]

Production

[edit]

The album was produced by Niño Jésus Pérez.[7] Lemvo sang nine of the album's ten songs in Spanish; he was influenced primarily by Cuban music.[8][9] Wuta Mayi performed on Mambo Yo Yo.[10] "Aquella Bendita Foto" is a son montuno.[11] The title track is built on the sounds of soukous and salsa.[12]

Critical reception

[edit]
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[13]
Robert Christgau(1-star Honorable Mention)[14]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music[10]
MusicHound World: The Essential Album Guide[7]

Robert Christgau deemed the album "Californian Afro-salsa."[14] The St. Petersburg Times stated that "Lemvo has created an articulate mix of Latin derivations, along with soukous stylings of his native Congo region."[15] The Boston Herald called Mambo Yo Yo "a potent, danceable [Putumayo] debut by the Congolese singer."[16]

Newsday determined: "Whether it's the band's easygoing syncopations or Lemvo's sweet, sandpapered tenor, what comes across is a gently insistent sound that glides along on Latin clave rhythms."[17] The Sun-Sentinel noted that, "in Makina Loca, listeners will hear elements from Afro-Cuban music and soukous, but also merengue from the Dominican Republic, konpa from Haiti and a little Calypso."[18]

AllMusic wrote that "the music on Mambo Yo Yo can be characterized as mainly Cuban style son montuno with trumpets (sometimes muted, giving that 'tropical moonlight' sound), driving piano, even a tres on many numbers."[13]

Track listing

[edit]
No.TitleLength
1."Mambo Yo Yo" 
2."Rinkinkaya" 
3."Aquella Bendita Foto" 
4."Él de la Rumba Soy Yo (Afrika Mokili Mobimba)" 
5."El Aguacero" 
6."Biloló" 
7."No Me Engañes Más" 
8."Mujer Divina" 
9."Africa, Havana, Paris" 
10."Manuela" 

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Ricardo Lemvo". NPR.
  2. ^ "Ricardo Lemvo Biography, Songs, & Albums". AllMusic.
  3. ^ Pfeiffenberger, Sylvia (September 8, 2004). "Ricardo Lemvo unleashed". Indy Week.
  4. ^ "Ricardo Lemvo & Makina Loca". Chicago Reader. September 3, 1998.
  5. ^ Goddard, John (30 May 1998). "Lemvo moves to an Afro-Cuban beat". Vancouver Sun. p. C2.
  6. ^ Reece, Doug (June 20, 1998). "Roadwork". Billboard. Vol. 110, no. 25. p. 19.
  7. ^ a b MusicHound World: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 2000. pp. 425–426.
  8. ^ Cantor, Judy. "The Congo, by Way of Cuba". Miami New Times.
  9. ^ Portillo, Ernesto (May 28, 1998). "Lemvo plays to his cross-cultural strength". Entertainment. The San Diego Union-Tribune. p. 30.
  10. ^ a b Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 5. MUZE. p. 171.
  11. ^ Hanlon, Leila Cobo (June 12, 1998). "Star-Studded Latino Lineup Poised to Thrill". Miami Herald. p. 23G.
  12. ^ Surowicz, Tom (June 14, 1998). "World". Star Tribune. p. 2F.
  13. ^ a b "Ricardo Lemvo Mambo Yo Yo". AllMusic.
  14. ^ a b "Ricardo Lemvo and Makina Loca". Robert Christgau.
  15. ^ Logan, Neill (12 June 1998). "Tropical Heatwave". Weekend. St. Petersburg Times. p. 18.
  16. ^ Young, Bob (June 5, 1998). "Putumayo label finding its place in the world". Boston Herald. p. S20.
  17. ^ Lipp, Marty (21 June 1998). "World Music". Newsday. p. D28.
  18. ^ Cazares, David (25 June 1999). "Midem Nots to African Sound". Showtime. Sun-Sentinel. p. 28.
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