Go zouk! But rather, go Afro-Zouk! After a first album to test the idea, in 1989, it was Cape Verde’s Manu Lima that Monique Séka entrusted with the production of her new record. <missounwa< strong= » »> Missounwa was to be the first major international success for the Ivorian queen of Afro-Zouk. Lima has made no bones about it. He called in the best, from Michel Alibo to Yves N’djock, Michel Lorentz, the brass players Alex Perdigon and Kako Bessot, and so on. The backing singers include no less than Edith Lefel, Jean-Paul Pognon and Marie-Céline Chroné. So Afro-Zouk is in good hands. The album mixes zouk and African rhythms, and it works! Monique Séka repeated the success in 1995 with the album Okaman (with Dominique Gengoul, and Lokassa Ya Mbongo) then in 1997 with Adéba (with Jean-Christophe Maillard), before the formula ran out of steam somewhat. But Missounwa remains a benchmark hit, driven by the singer’s powerful voice.</missounwa<>
Missounwa – Monique Séka, 1989
