Omana Wapi

1	Lisanga Ya Ba Nganga / Tabu Ley Rochereau 8:08
2	Ngungi / Tabu Ley Rochereau 8:17
3	Omona Wapi / Tabu Ley Rochereau 7:58
4	Kabassele in Memoriam / Tabu Ley Rochereau 8:46

Barnes & Noble

Is one record big enough for the two titans of Congolese music? Barely! But OMANA WAPI manages to deliver Le Grand Maítre Franco and Tabu Ley Rochereau -- pillars in the house of soukous -- in all their buttery, corpulent glory. It's heaven to hear these two old friends -- and old rivals -- trading verses and harmonizing sweetly over arrangements as smooth as Isaac Hayes's noggin. Franco, dubbed the Sorcerer of the Guitar at one point in his career, chimes in hard midway through the opener, "Lisanga Ya Ba Nganga," which celebrates the very occasion of this meeting. The title cut follows the classic blueprint of slow rumba intro followed by a brisk seben (fast guitar workout), in this case punched up by some fat horns. The set's closer, a tribute to Joseph "Le Grand Kalle" Kabasele, the undisputed founding father of soukous, is truly touching as Tabu Ley and Franco croon sweet hymnlike harmonies over a slow, lilting cadence. With these guys in charge, even a requiem has a backbeat, and you may find your butt doing slow circles even as you wipe a tear from your eye. Erik Goldman

All Music Guide

Picked by The Village Voice's Robert Christgau as one of the greatest albums of the '80s, this historic collaboration teams Rochereau with Franco, Zaire's greatest singer and guitarist, for one of the few "super-sessions" worthy of the title. J. Poet