The Venanda Lovely Boys "Bo Tata" (Rounder Records, 1993)

The Victoria Kings "The Mighty Kings Of Benga" (Globe Style Records, 1993)

G. G. Vikey "Chantre De La Negritude" (Bolibana Records, 2011)
Oooh, neat! This is a digital reissue of an old album that I actually own -- I found it in the bins of a small record shop that was going out of business in the late 1980s, and I've always wondered who the heck Mssr. Vikey was (there was no Internet to speak of, back then...) and where he came from. The subtle, quirky guitar work reminded me of New World artists such as Joseph Spence, but the groovy dashiki clearly said "somewhere in Africa." Now, two decades later, I've finally pieced it together, with help from the Bolibana reissue series (digital only, alas!) and French Wikipedia, I have learned that Gustave Gbenou Vikey was a musician from Benin, mainly active in the 1960s, and that he released this one album, along with a string of singles. I'm still not sure exactly what year this record came out, but I'm pleased to see it "in print" again at last... If you enjoy gentle acoustic roots music -- think S. E. Rogie-era palm-wine music -- then you might want to check this gem out. Includes a few tunes with a full band, but it's mostly just Vikey and his "guitare Africaine", and it sounds really, really nice! Recommended.

Voz Di Sanicolau "Fundo De Mare Palinha" (1977)
(Produced by Armando Carrondo)
This appears to be the only album by this late 'Seventies Cape Verdean "funana" band -- rough cut but melodic pop music, with bouncy rhythms, rough-edged, jangly guitar and an irrepressibly upbeat vibe. This late '70s album has been reissued a few times, notably on a 10" vinyl EP by the folks at Analog Africa. Fun stuff!

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African Music Index
World Music Index

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