Boka Kafé

Manuel Lopes Andrade, better known simply as Tcheka, is a guitarist and singer from Cape Verde, the former Portuguese colony off the coast of Senegal. Along with the excellent Mayra Andrade and Lura, he enjoyed success in the years when his homeland was rightly considered to be one of the great world music centres, thanks to the massive popularity of the late Cesaria Evora. The islands don't enjoy quite so much publicity these days, but this gloriously confident and varied album proves that Tcheka is still making great music. This is his fifth album, and his first for six years; in many ways it's his bravest to date.
For the most part it's a solo set, and only on the final track is he joined by his co-producer, the Portuguese pianist Mário Laginha. It succeeds because he is both a remarkable singer and an impressive acoustic guitarist. The starting point is the rhythmic Cape Verde style of batuku, but to this he adds influences from Brazil and Africa in fluid, varied, jazz-inflected compositions that range from the breathy, soulful ‘Dzem Kma Sim’ or ‘Barquinho’ to the urgent and rhythmic ‘Santa’, which is driven on by percussive guitar work. Boka Kafé is well worth checking out.