N. Lauretta burst onto the music scene in Cameroon in 1983 with this one-off album, credited solely to her name (though rumour has it that a second album may also exist…). She took everyone by surprise with Fide (Rest), a pure salsa track that nobody was expecting – neither in Yaoundé nor in Douala – and which consequently became a big hit on the dance floor. And for that track alone, the album is well worth a listen! It must be said that she knows how to surround herself with the right people. Under the direction of André-Marie Tala, who also plays guitar, the line-up includes, for example, Michel Alibo, Jimmy Mvondo and Fredo Tété. That says it all. The album also features two fast-paced makossas, Be Nene and Meli, where Michel really sets the bass alight. Opening side B, the wonderfully groovy Bangoulap takes us to the Ndé region to meet the Bamileke people of western Cameroon. N. Lauretta would later bring her career to a close, and has since turned her hand to gospel and worship music. Two tracks on this album, in fact, already offer a glimpse of that direction. The sleeve of our copy has been well-travelled, covered in marker pen inscriptions and stickers that are definitely impossible to remove, but this is the record personally signed by N. Lauretta herself to Blandine, for the Africa N°1 record collection. A record that’s seen better days!
