Grupo Lokito - Esengo Ya Ko Bina

(Cavendish Music)

Esengo Ya Ko Bina, which in Lingala means ‘the Joy of Dancing’, is a nine track heady, feel-good mix of Congolese and Cuban music. A band of UK based African and Latin musicians led by singer José Hendrix Ndelo and salsa pianist Sara McGuinness, Lokito create a glorious sound. More sensual than hard salsa, from the opening ‘Generique Lokito’, their serenading soukous-style guitars swing over layers of rhythms while sweet voices tell of love lost as in ‘Bolembu’, or of fighting for change back home, as with ‘Espoir’. Essential beat-the-early-winter-blues material.

www.grupolokito.com