Loketo is one of the leading bands in soukous, a style that is immensely popular in parts of Africa and has its share of followers in the Caribbean as well. Upbeat, happy and relentlessly energetic,
Soukous Trouble is state-of-the-art
Loketo. Listeners may notice that while soukous has a personality of its own, the form bears some resemblance to other dance-oriented African forms (especially zouk and makossa), as well as the merengue of the Dominican Republic. Indeed, play "Pingui Bill" or "Pour Toujours" next to the music of a merengue star like
Wilfrido Vargas or
Johnny Ventura, and it's hard to miss the parallels. Novices exploring soukous for the first time would do well to start out with this CD, a fine example of the music's infectious and uplifting nature. ~ Alex Henderson