Soul of Africa

As with Buena Vista Social Club, Orchestra Baobab and Bembeya Jazz, Kekele's music represents a musical era that had been all but swept away by the '70s. Hailing from the Congo, all five members of Kekele were played out by decades of allegiance to the frenetic drive of soukous and decided to form a band that looks back to a more subtle and playful musical form of a much less troubled era. The delicately chugging, super-sweet sounds of Rumba Congolaise carried the swing back in the '50s and '60s. It was an ethereal mixture of ingredients from Cuba, central Africa, and - as featured in their most recent disc Congo Life - accents from the Antilles. Kekele sing fabulous, relaxed harmonies backed by propulsive acoustic guitars and rolling percussion. A smash hit in Europe, they're bound to be the "who was that?" factor to loosen up crowds at festivals from BC to Quebec during July and August.