Ray Lema

• Nangadeef [Mango, 1989] B+

Consumer Guide Reviews:

Nangadeef [Mango, 1989]
Lema knows too much keyboard. Orchestrating for drama and structure, he ends up with a music of brilliant passages--now Ellingtonian, now almost Brazilian. If you equate Zaire with the eternal groove you'll find him irritating. But if you get your kicks contemplating rhythms as well as consuming them, try this rooted fusion of soukous, funk, reggae, mbaqanga, rock, fusion, and whatever--complete with shrewd, languid vocals of equal intelligence, or wisdom. B+