Souzy Kasseya - Le Phénomènal (1984)

A good bookend for Tshala Muana's release below is this solo outing by talented guitarist Souzy Kasseya, recorded in Paris around the same time. This is very much an in-studio production, with Kasseya providing all guitars, programmed drums and many voices. Manu Lima adds keyboards, and there are a couple of horns, a little understated percussion and a few female backing vocals thrown in the mix. The result is a record that sounds over-produced, almost clinical, and quite thin.

While listening to Le Phénomènal, I could not help but compare it to his previous solo recording, the excellent Le Retour de l'As, which is much more open and natural sounding. More real. That record is available here on the excellent Global Groove site. Today's share was rereleased in Britain by Earthworks, but did not sell well. Get both of these records and see what you think.

Enjoy!