Flores, Bastos & Bonga

I know how excited I get about Friday's musical posts....well this week my excitement is three-fold because I get to share music from Angola. The music coming out of Angola literally goes straight to my bones and part of my image of quintessential "African" music (although we all know how diverse African music really is). It is remarkable how many great musicians can come out such a little country. In spite of a brutal and long civil war that destroyed so many aspects of the country, the music environment continued to thrive. In the past few years, a little peace in the country has allowed to music scene to explode.

Let's get started with some of my all-time favorite Angolan artists. As soon as they open their mouths, you know that they are singing straight from the heart and that their song is dedicated to their country and their people. Their music are all rooted in the Semba which is basically the predecessor of the Samba, Kuduro, and Kizomo beats.

First up is Paulo Flores:


Next up is Waldemar Bastos. I've already written about my love for this musician (click here), and so I am more than happy to share a little more!


Another favorite of mine is Bonga:


Stay tuned for more music today!!